Highadmit South Wales Alliance League

Ynyshir Albions 3 - D Evans, S Jones, D Williams

Cadoxton Barry 1 - Oaten

WITH no defeats in their last 16 league and cup games, high riding Ynyshir were always going to be difficult opposition, but the absences of first team regulars for assorted reasons made the task ahead even more formidable.

And it looked like being a really hard day at the office when, in the second minute, a skimmed defensive header fell into the path of Evans making a run down the right. With Cadoxton Barry 'keeper, Warner, slightly forward of his line, he let fly with a dipping shot that came to ground over the top of the 'keeper's head to nestle in the back of the Cadoxton Barry net.

But it took less than five minutes for Cadoxton Barry to get back into the match. Warner made a clearance which found Dawson who pumped the ball on nicely into the path of Oaten who neatly dummied past a defender before firing home from an angle.

Ynyshir immediately broke upfield and a goal looked odds on as Warner initially made to dive to his left as the shot was fired to the right. However, he did tremendously well to re-adjust and make the save.

But an Ynyshir free kick from the right edge of the box looked set fair for a curler towards the far post. The option should have been covered by a man at that post. But with no one wanting to cover it, Jones' did the expected very well to bring it down and into the net off the inside of that unguarded post.

Again Cadoxton Barry rallied to have the better of the exchanges in the final 10 minutes leading up to half-time, a Samsome free kick being headed on by Curran to Harris-Raffel who, unfortunately, fired over the bar.

The home side did more of the pressing during the opening stages of the second half, a spell during which a re-aggravation of a groin injury saw Berry coming on in place of Harris-Raffel.

Shortly after Dawson took a knock which caused a lengthy delay and left him with a bloodied nose. He played on for a while but eventually was forced off the field, making way for Liam Jones.

Cadoxton Barry were fortunate to come unscathed from a goalmouth melee before a free kick from the right scuttled across the face of the Cadoxton Barry goal with no Ynyshir player close enough to get the touch needed to divert it into the net. Then, with 10 minutes left on the clock Constant, who had yet another solid game in defence made way for Mohamed.

With just the single goal deficit Cadoxton Barry embarked on a number of promising attacks, only to see them fizzle out in the final third. A break upfield put the seal on the home win when a seemingly innocuous contact in the Cadoxton Barry box saw the referee pointing to the spot. Supposedly, shirt pulling was involved.

Ynyshir's burly substitute, Williams, made no mistake from the spot and it was a further bit of shirt pulling that saw Adamson have a red card waved in his face with just a couple of minutes remaining.

Of the 10 men that finished this match for Cadoxton Barry it should be noted that five were just 17-years-old. So, although Ynyshir were deserved winners, a lot of credit goes to these youngsters who helped keep the outcome in doubt for 88 of the 90 minutes.

Next Saturday, Cadoxton Barry will be at home to local rival Whitchurch in a 2.30pm Bryn-Y-Don kick off.