Vale of Glamorgan League Division Two

Cadoxton Barry 3rds 2 Airport 2nds 2

CB’s Thompson 2

Airport’s Hunt, Ashill

CADOXTON Barry opened with a clever little move out to the left which saw Thompson find Oaten whose pass on was just too short for the incoming Cameron to make contact.

But an Airport attack saw the ball fall into no-man’s-land with the closest player being a CB defender who elected not to move and invited a free shot and Hunt wasn't slow in accepting the gift to convert with purpose for the visitors in the 11th minute.

The game continued to be an end to end affair, though Airport did hit the CB bar with one powerful shot and for CB, a good combination of passing from Baker to Thompson and on to Smart saw the last of the three shooting just wide of the far right post.

Then Airport put together a classy sequence of 15 passes before a poor final shot on goal. Smart got on the end of a throw in and a clever turn saw him set up Oaten, but his shot went wide. This was followed by a delicate Dalton chip over the heads of the visiting defence to Smart who, on this occasion, was unable to make anything of it.

Averies, who had been playing well in defence despite an injury he had carried from the start, made way for Taylor from the half-way mark. Immediately he passed forward from deep in his own half to find Smart who moved the ball on to Oaten who turned his man to send in a shot which was well blocked at the near post.

Little by little CB were beginning to seize the initiative, a Cameron dip from 25 yards being only just too high. But with the deputising ‘keeper getting a touch - the first choice having gone off injured - a corner came in that should have seen Cameron scoring, but he missed the target from four yards out.

At the other end Peacock did well to push the ball wide of the post as a wingman bore down on him. Then a quality ball from Cameron found Gannon on the right, but his shot was wide of the far post. Dalton hit the sweet spot from the edge of the box to miss by only a whisker at the far post.

By now it was beginning to look as though the next goal was going to come from the home side and that is exactly what happened when Baker battled to win a long ball which came to earth in the middle of the park. He threaded it through to Thompson running down the left, a little nudge and the ball was in the net.

With CB now the more dominant force Thompson fed a ball forward to Smart just to the left of centre, but the shot went just beyond the far post and Gannon drifted in a shot from middle distance that the 'keeper did well to tip over the bar.

Airport were then awarded a free kick from near the right edge of the box, the shot going just inches over the CB bar.

Oaten found Smart with a fine pass from deep inside the CB half and a decent cross from Smart found Gannon running in for what looked like a certain goal, but an unexpected bobble saw the ball rear up, and perhaps that's what caused a poor contact to go high and wide.

But the second CB goal that had looked on the cards for a while eventually came when Smart passed forward to his left where he found Thompson who, with the most exquisite of shimmies evaded a challenge before, in the 89th minute of actual time, burying the ball to put CB into a lead which should have given them all three points.

However, with just seconds of added time left Airport earned a corner on the left side. As it came in 'keeper Peacock appeared to have it well covered in a crowded box, added to by the presence of the visiting 'keeper.

But as he launched himself to take what should have been a routine gathering, in quick fire time an elbow arrived in his chest before a boot stamped down on his, holding him on terra firma.

The double foul sent him to the ground while, out from the ensuing scramble, arrived the boot of Ashill to rescue a point for Airport. With Peacock surrounded by players on all sides it is understandable why the excellent referee, who came in the shape of Rob Jones, was unsighted for the double foul.

Airport's good fortune and CB's bad luck. But they have to accept that there are always going to be such situations when the luxury of having official linesman does not exist at this level.

So that's Cadoxton Barry’s season done and with both reserve sides finishing in the top half of their respective divisions, 1sts manager, Adam Harvey, winning the Manager of the Month for the last quarter of the season and, of course, the 1sts winning Division Two of the South Wales Senior League, it will go down as an excellent one.

Don't forget that the honours and accolades will be presented at the Player of the Year event in Cadoxton Cons, which starts with the Junior Section awards at 5.30pm on Saturday, May 16 - a great band has been booked so it should be an enjoyable evening.