2011/12 Season

 

 

Final League Table

 

 

Results

 

 

Player Stats

 

 

Match Reports

Max United 1 - 0 Stanleytown
Our season started with the short trip over the mountain to newly promoted Max United, and after a good pre-season and a strong squad available confidence was high.

However the game didn't start as expected with passes going astray and struggling to break through the Max defence. The Max did cause us some problems early on with a series of corners which brought about a couple of good saves from new keeper Daniel Hurton. Our best chance of the half came in the 35th minute when some good build up play by our midfield trio of Joe Eason, Barrie Jones and Jarrad Davies got the ball through to Tyrone Jones only for him to be denied by the max keeper. Half time 0 - 0

The second half followed the same pattern as the first with neither side managing to get a grip of the game with the play flowing from end to end but with neither keeper being tested. The Max took the lead in the 65th minute when a ball through the middle caught our defence square and the striker was one on one with Daniel and slotted the ball past him giving him no chance. This did seem to lift us slightly and we started taking the game to the Max but struggled to break down their stubborn defence. We made three changes with Liam Derrick replacing the injured Tyrone, Jarrad also picked up a knock and was replaced by Ryan Jones and Dale Hughes replaced Liam Hemming. We continued to push in the final minutes but were restricted to long shots that failed to trouble the Max keeper. Final score 1 - 0.

Even though this was not the start we hoped for there is still plenty of time left in the season starting with another local derby on Tuesday night against Penrhiwfer, kick off 6.15pm
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
DANIEL HURTON 8
Positive 1st Game for Daniel pulled some outstanding saves off in the 1st half plus kept the back four organised.
Negative - needs to sort his kicking out

GARRY EDWARDS 7
Positive Tackled like there was no tomorrow, won 95% headers and give 110%.
Negative - Needs to keep his head up if a pass goes astray

HUW EVANS 7
Positive - Tackled everything did not let the winger go past him once
Negative - Needs to keep his head up if a pass goes astray.

DAVID FRY 7
Positive - One of the quickest centre half's I have seen outstanding in the air.
Negative - Needs to talk more.

MARTYN EVANS 8
Positive - Did not lose a header all game tackled everything and deserved the M.O.M
Negative - Lack's pace

JOE EASON 7
Positive - Showed some outstanding skill and tackled well
Negative - Needs to believe in him self more

BARRIE JONES 7
Positive - Covered every blade of grass and won 95% of headers
Negative - Needs to get the final ball right

JARRAD DAVIES 7
Positive - Same as Barrie coved every blade of grass and did not lose a tackle
Negative - Needs to get the final ball right

LEE BOLDERSON 7
Positive - Worked his socks off and put some great ball's into the box
Negative - Needs to shoot more

LIAM HEMMING 7
Positive - Worked up and down wing and showed plenty of pace
Negative - Needs to hold onto the ball more

TYRONE JONES 7
Positive - Showed some outstanding skill to pass the defence and did not put a pass wrong
Negative - Needs to use his left foot more

LIAM DERRICK 6
Come on with 20mins left and give everything

RYAN JONES 6
Come on with 10mins left and give everything

DALE HUGHES 6
Come on with only 7mins left and put his body on the line

ALEX THOMAS
NOT USED -SORRY M8 KEEP ON FIGHTING YOU WILL HAVE YOU'R CHANCE

JOHN WILLIAMS
NOT USED -SORRY M8 KEEP ON FIGHTING YOU WILL HAVE YOU'R CHANCE
.
Penrhiwfer 3 - 2 Stanleytown
Liam Hemming (2)
Tonights game saw Stanleytown play as the away team at their home ground to Penrhiwfer. With both sides losing on the opening game of the season it was vital that both teams finished the game with 3 points. The game started with no quality to the game and both sides scrapping for possession. However after approximately 30 minutes the breakthrough came for Penrhiwfer after some poor defending by Stanleytown let the opposition run through too easy and let an easy tap in for Penrhiwfer to go 1 up. This is how it stayed until half time. After a talking too from the manager at half time, this seemed to spark Stanleytown to life and started playing some good football and creating some good chances, however none of these were able to be converted. However when Lee Bolderson found himself in the 6 yard box he squared the ball to Liam Hemming for an easy tap in, 1-1 Stanleytown were back in the game. However straight from kick off Penrhiwfer played the ball forward straight to Huw Evans, only for the ball to treacle through his legs and let the opposition striker through to make it 2-1. This soon became 3-1 after some more poor defending from Stanleytown. However with time still left Stanleytown pulled a goal back, again through Liam Hemming when he found a bit of space in the box after some good footwork and blasted the ball past the keeper, 3-2. However there was not enough time to get another goal and the game finished Penrhiwfer 3-2 Stanleytown. A very disappointing result considering Stanleytown controlled much of the game
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton - 7
Good game in goal, quick off his line and feeds the ball to full backs excellent. Confident in the air and with the ball on the ground (except when it went under his foot)

Garry Edwards - 6
Struggled early on but grew into the game as time went on. Needs to work on the final ball

Huw Evans - 6
Done well but gets marked down for basically giving a goal away straight after we scored. Apart from that was solid.

David Fry - 5
Struggled with the formation, wanted to sweep rather than mark. on the plus side has bags of pace and gets stuck in

John Williams - 6
Decent showing from little john at left back, another who played the wrong final ball early on but like a fine wine...got better with time

Karl Williams - 6
Karl struggled in his position out wide, those legs aint as young as they used to be, and with little pre season training it was always going to be a tough ask. However still has the awesome skill and delivered some good balls

Barrie Jones - 6
Lots of running from barrie, lots of tackling and dogging (wont lower myself to a joke there) done what he was put there for

Joe Eason - 7 STAR MAN
What can we say about this boy... easily the most skilful player at the club if not the league, just needs to give it easy sometimes. got stuck in and won possession, played some lovely balls forward and was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty.

Lee Bolderson - 7
Another of the better performers of the night. Showed bags of skill, pace and determination. Did miss a few chances tho.

Craig Williams - 6
Held the ball up well against a big opponent, played some good passes and won some ball in the air. Another who missed a few chances.

Liam Hemmings - 7
Got 2 goals to get us back in the game. Found himself dropping back too often to challenge for headers instead of gambling off frog. Needs to play on the last defender more, will then get a bag full.....of goals this season

Carl Semmens - 6
No comment, had words with goff afterwards, heading to *HOLLYWOODS BROKEN TOY CHEST*

Gareth Smith - 6
Came on upfront late on, threw his weight about, ruffled a few feathers. Held the ball up and played it off, job done

Tom Lewis - 6
Came on late on in goal as a tactical move, touched the ball once. Was a good one tho! On a positive note....tom and magua didn’t have to clean the changing rooms or sort the nets out this week!

Gareth Fry - Unused sub
(FAW Trophy)
Stanleytown 2 - 3 Nelson
Craig Williams 2
.
..
This week Stanleytown welcomed Nelson in the FAW cup. With a few changes to the starting line up against Penrhiwfer. The game started off quite evenly with both sides battling for possession. However the breakthrough came after 15 mins when Karl Williams played Carl Semmens in down the right wing, who squared the ball to Craig Williams on the penalty spot, who tucked the ball away in the bottom corner, 1-0 Stanleytown. However the lead only lasted 10 minutes as Stanleytown gave away yet another free kick and this time failed to defend and conceded a headed goal inside the 6 yard box, 1-1. This is how is stayed until the half time whistle. Changes were made with the injured Carl Semmens coming off for the returning Jarrad Davies. The second half started as the first ended with both teams battling for possession with little chances either end. Stanleytown again took the lead after approximately 65 minutes when the ball was crossed and Craig Williams out jumped the nelson goalkeeper, 2-1 Stanleytown. But once again after scoring Stanleytown seemed to sit back and invite pressure straight after taking the lead. After giving away countless free kicks again it was inevitable that the equaliser was going to come, and it did after 80 or so minutes. When the ball was crossed in low and miskicked by 2 or 3 defenders it fell to the nelson striker who blasted past the helpless Tom Lewis from close range, 2-2. This meant extra time and Stanleytown couldn’t have wished for a worse start, when the ball came to Daniel Hurton at the back, a misplaced clearance aided by a slip gifted the ball to the nelson striker, who had no trouble in putting the ball in the back of the net, 3-2 Nelson. This seemed to spur Stanleytown back to life, something that seems to be the norm lately, and despite showing lots of fight to get a goal back and creating a few chances they were unable to get the breakthrough and the game ended Stanleytown 2-3 Nelson (AET)
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 6
Maybe should have come out for the first goal which highlighted the inexperience, but was helpless with the second and third. To his credit he did make an outstanding save at 2-2 to take it to extra time, tipping a powerful long range effort on to the bar that was heading for the top corner.

Gareth Smith - 6
Done well against a physical opponent, the kind of opponent gaffa loves. Did concede quite a few free kicks tho!

Barrie Jones - 6
Started at the back but moved into midfield to provide us with a bit of energy in the middle of the park. ran all over the park, tackling and generally putting himself about

Daniel Hurton - 5
Swept up behind the 2 centre halfs, won plenty of headers and made a few good interceptions, but did slip for the winning goal and hit quite a few wayward long balls

Carl Semmens - 6
Didn’t do too much other than play frog in for the first goal before coming off half time injured

Alex Thomas - 6
Done well against a tricky winger, chased back all game, got stuck in....did get bullied by a player no taller than 4 ft tho!

Huw Evans - 6
Started in holding midfield before swapping with Barrie to go back to his normal central defence role, got the job done, followed his man all over the park and tackled well

Karl Williams - 6
Done well for the first hour, was his usual self, playing little one two's, playing trough balls, but just seemed to tire later on. mole isn’t getting any younger

Tyrone Jones - 6
Played in centre midfield, was tricky as ever, taking players on and spread the ball out wide well

Craig Williams - 7 STAR MAN
2 Goals from frog, ran his heart out upfront, won almost every header, didn’t deserve to be on the losing side. Great display

Liam Hemming - 6
Failed to close down full backs in the first half, but made up for it in the second half, putting himself about, even got a gash to the head and 10 lovely stitches to take on holiday as a reminder

Jarrad Davies - 6
Carrying a bit more timber these days but never the less still has bags of energy, was up and down the wing with the usual robust challenges.

Martyn Evans - 6
On for gaffa, done what was asked of him, defended well, cleared his lines, another who likes a physical challenge

Garry Edwards - 6
Came on for Alex, did well with some excellent tackles and won some headers

Leon Semmens - Unused sub

Fochriw 5 - 0 Stanleytown
.
..
This evening Stanleytown travelled over mountains, through emmerdale farm and on to Fochriw. Carrying several injuries it was always going to be a tough ask. And this was highlighted by the start when the Fochriw winger broke free and drilled the ball in the 6 yard box, Gareth Smith was caught in two minds what to do and ended up placing the ball perfectly passed Tom Lewis, 1-0 Fochriw after 1 minute. This obviously dampened Stanleytown spirit and after more sloppy defending they soon found themselves 3-0 down, half time could not come quick enough. The second half started a little better with Stanleytown showing a bit more fight and creating a few chances, however Stanleytown being Stanleytown gave away another free kick 20 yards out which was fired home past a helpless Tom Lewis 4-0 Fochriw. The introduction of Joe Eason for the injured Nicky Rees seemed to bring some belief into the team and started playing some tidy football, however they were unable to get the breakthrough and after another scrappy goal at the other end, it finished 5-0. Not the greatest of performances from the lads, but with ever diminishing numbers and injuries galore it was always going to be a tall order. However the next game starts 0-0 and with a bit of self confidence and belief there is no reason why we can’t stop the rot and come away with a win.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 5
Was lost at sea for the free kick but there was nothing he could do in the other goals. Also when we are losing tom....please try and speed the goal kicks up, you slow them down when you are winning. Did make the odd good save tho!

Gareth Smith - 5
Great finish for the own goal and miss timed his header for the third goal. Also was brought off for threatening a 9 year old and losing his head

Martyn Evans - 6
One of the few voices out on the field, never stopped trying to encourage. won headers but unfortunately not enough tackles to prevent the loss

Garry Edwards - 6
Done well against a tricky winger, timed his tackles well and got stuck in. Was seen laughing and joking after conceding the goal after 1 minute, thick aint the word!

Huw Evans - 5
Started as wing back, was always gonna be a tough ask struggled to get forward, much better when moved to left back

Alex Thomas - 5
Lasted 10 minutes, coming off with calf trouble

Liam Derrick - 6
Caught in possession a few times with the ball, tried to play some football and never stopped working

Barrie Jones - 6
Another who never stopped working, often found himself outnumbered and overrun in the middle of the field.

Dale Hughes - 5
Lets frustration get the better of him and lets his head drop when he makes a mistake, seemed to run out of steam toward the end

Nicky Rees - 6
There was questions coming from the side about Nicky Rees in the starting line up, hurts me to say but for an old goat he ran his socks off, was feeding off scraps upfront

Tyrone Jones - 6
Another who was feeding off scraps, was quiet but seemed to come to life toward the end. worked his way in to a few good positions but chose to pass instead of shoot, HAVE A POP!

Ashley Davies - 5
Came on for squirt. worked well going forward but went missing when it came to working back

Joe Eason - 6
Came on and breathed life into the team, makes it look easy, nearly went through 1 on 1. Gotta feel sorry for the kid tho, teams just kick lumps into him!

Carl Semmens - 5
Played though the pain like a warrior to help out his beloved Stanleytown, played some nice balls down the line

No star man this week due to no one deserving of the title

(Bruty Cup)
Stanleytown 5 - 1 Nelson
Jarrad Davies 4
Craig Williams (p)
.
..
After our mid week defeat to Fochriw it was back to cup action this week where we welcomed back last week visitors Nelson, but this week in the Bruty Cup.

The game started in the best possible way when an early corner caused confusion in the Nelson box and Jarrad Davies was there to smash home from 6 yards. This was the confidence boost we needed and for the next half hour we continued to push and looking dangerous on the attack. However it was Nelson who got the next goal on 35 minutes when some sloppy defending allowed the Nelson centre half a free header at the back post who put the ball past the helpless Daniel Hurton. But unlike other weeks we did not sit back and continued to attack and our efforts were awarded 2 minutes before half time when Jarrad doubled his tally to give us a 2 - 1 half time lead.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first with us pilling on the pressure and it did not take long before we extended our lead when Jarrad completed his hat-trick. More chances followed with Jarrad tormenting the Nelson defence and could have extended his personal goal tally; he even had a stone wall penalty waved away. We did eventually get a forth when again Jarrad slotted home with 10 mins remaining. We were still not finished when in injury time Jarrad was brought down in the box and this time the ref pointed to the spot. Captain Craig Williams stepped up and fired in the fifth. Final score 5 - 1.

This was a good result and just what we needed, let's hope we can carry this performance on into our next league game against Tongwynlais next week
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton
+ Dan made some good saves at the right time and commanded his area well
- does he want to play in goal or out.
Marks 8 out 10

Garry Edwards
+ Garry played well against a tricky winger tackled everything and passed some good ball’s down the line. Went off after 60mins
- still dull so what can I do lol.
Marks 7 out 10 for dullness 11 out 10

Gareth Smith
+ 1st game for Gaffa at left back and he did not let his team mates down. Won every header and tackled everything went off after 70min..
-needs to get fitter
Marks 7 out 10

Martyn Evans
+ Outstanding in the hair and always trying to play football from the back and it was good to see that the 2 centre/half’s played well together
- needs to use his right foot at times.
Marks 8 of 10

Huw Evans
+ Outstanding all round performance from Huw Did not give nelson’s number 9 a chance
- Needs to get pissed more with the boys (but got told he’s on the bus to porthcawl)
Marks 9 out 10 he lost 1pt cos he’s still crap in arch and tunnel

Barrie Jones
+ Barries best game for the town, Battled for everything in front of him and covered every blade of grass
- needs to stay on his feet after getting hit bye is own player
Marks 8 out 10

Lee Bolderson
+ Same has Huw outstanding performance from Lee played in his fav position centre/mid. Played some outstanding balls through the nelson defence and organised the midfield well
- needs a goal (his he on the bus for porthcawl????????)
Mark’s 8 out 10

Joe Eason
+ Joe’s best game for the town this season run the midfield, with nelson midfield chasing fresh air
- should be in by 2.30 not 3o/c from Friday night
Marks 8 out 10

Jarrad Davies
+ What can you say 4 goals from left/mid. up and down all game headed, tackled everything
- missed 2 1 on1’s
Marks 9 out 10 M.O.M (IF HE SCORED 5 HE WOULD HAVE HAD THE MAGIC 10 SORRY Jar)

Craig Williams
+ Mr consistent every time he puts the town top on you know he will give 110% run his socks off all game won every header and tackled from the front
- Missed a chance in the 1st half
Marks 9 out 10

Tyrone Jones
+ Played right/mid and give the nelson left back a torrid time, played some outstanding ball’s through, Went off after 75mins
- Gone on hol’s for 2weeks
Marks 8 out 10

Carl Semmens
+ come on for Garry and slotted in well with some good runs and passed the ball well
- Hope the knee ok for sat
Marks 6 out 10

John Williams
+ come on for gaffa at left/back and played some good football,
- needs to get forward more
Marks 6 out 10

Dale Hughes
+ come on for Tyrone at right/mid and played some class ball’s through
- he need’s to lay off the skipper lol
Marks 6 out 10

Tongwynlais 1 - 2 Stanleytown
Karl Williams
Craig Williams
.
..
This week we travelled to Tongwynlais with 3 changes from last weeks win over Nelson. Barrie Jones, Lee Bolderson and Tyrone Jones were all missing so in come Karl Williams, Carl Semmens and John Williams.

The game didn’t get off to the best start when inside the first 5 minutes Tongwynlais had a corner which was crossed into the 6 yard box and met unchallenged by the Tongwynlais player, 1 – 0. We regrouped and tried to get a grip of the game but Tongwynlais were still causing us problems with the long ball over the top which saw them have a few one on ones only to put the ball wide of the target. After 25 mins we drew level when some brilliant individual skill by Joe Eason saw him power down the right flank cut into the box, leaving the defender on the ground, and cross to the back post where Karl Williams was there to tap in and make the score 1 – 1. This gave us the confidence to push forward and we started to cause Tongwynlais problems and 5 minutes before half time we took the lead when Karl Williams crossed in a free kick from out wide and Craig Williams was there to header in and give us a 2 – 1 half time lead.

There were two changes at half time Dale Hughes and the returning Matthew Symmons replaced John Williams and Gareth Smith and Symmons is impact was almost instant when he picked the ball up on the half way line rounded the defender and was through one on one with the keeper only to shoot wide. Just before the hour mark George Jones made his debut replacing Dale Hughes after a nasty collision with the Tongwynlais player caused a gash to Hughes head.

Both sides were pushing for the next goal but with neither keeper really being tested. With 20 minutes remaining Tongwynlais were reduced to 10 men when their winger picked up 2 yellow cards in as many minutes. We did start to make the extra man count as we managed to stretch the Tongwynlais back line and had 2 good efforts to seal the game, first Symmons broke down the left and his low cross found Karl Williams who shot just over from inside the box. Soon after Symmons broke through again, this time down the right flank, cut inside and shot just wide. Tongwynlais were pushing for an equaliser but could not find a way through the solid back line of Garry Edwards, Martyn Evans, Huw Evans and Carl Semmens, and were restricted to long shots which didn’t trouble Daniel Hurton in goals.

The game was evened up with 10 minutes remaining when Evans saw red, a quick re-shuffle saw Craig Williams drop into centre half along side Martyn Evans to see out the last 10. With Tongwynlais attacking we did look to counter attack through Jarrad Davies and Symmons but could not extend our lead. Final Score 1 – 2.

This was a good hard fought 3 points of the season and thoroughly deserved and just hope we can take momentum from this into our game on Tuesday night against Penrhiwfer who narrowly beat us 3 – 2 three weeks ago.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton
+ Made some good saves, took crosses and commanded area well. Organised back four and never stops talking. Done everything you want from a keeper.
- Think he’d prefer to play out
8/10

Garry Edwards
+ Garry giggler played well again, never got beat by his man and passed the ball well on a dodgy field. Solid performance.
- Needs to concentrate more.
7/10

Gareth Smith
+ Part of a solid back four. Enjoying it at left back, felt a bit under the weather after a heavy night on Friday
-Didn’t realise how much running full backs do
6/10

Martyn Evans
+ Won everything in the air against a physical opponent and made some good tackles. Hurt his knee early on and played through the pain barrier. Good partnership with Huw
- That right foot is for standing on only.
8/10

Huw Evans
+ Outstanding performance for most of the game from Delme then ruined it by getting sent off. Put his body on the line every time he needed to. Has a good partnership with Merv.
- Was nailed on for Man of the Match then had to start bumping his gums to get sent off.
9/10 for performance
-5 for calling opponent a cheating ****

Carl Semmens
+ Carlos was back to his near best, looked fit getting up and down showed some of the quality touches that we know he has and defended when needed.
- How long will that knee hold up
7/10

John Williams
+ Played out wide on the left and got back to help his full back well. Wasn’t quite happening in the final 3rd for him.
- The boy has had a tough week in fairness
6/10

Joe Eason
+ Brilliant 1st half from Joe, will take a pass wherever he is on the field. Makes the game look easy and a brilliant run down the line for Karl Moles goal. He’s so good he doesn’t have to do his laces up.
- Let his head drop in 2nd half. Needs to ignore the shouts from the side
7/10

Karl Williams
+ Partnered Joe in midfield and slotted in like he’s never been away. Scored a goal, magical footwork, 1st class touch and still life in the old dog yet.
- Will he be there on Tuesday
7/10

Craig ‘MAN OF THE MATCH’ Williams
+ A dream to play up front with, wins headers, holds up the ball, runs the channels, tracks back, plays it easy and scores goals. Does a lot of work that may go unnoticed (not by me Froggy)
- Didn’t see a minus in this game
9/10

Jarrad Davies
+ Got a start up front after last weeks 4 goals, not as clinical as last week but gave us what we’ve come to expect from him with his work rate. Showed some nice touches and the trademark sliding tackles were out in full force
- No Mark Hughes volley this week, was it a one off?
7/10

Matthew Symmons
+ First game back for Super Symmo, forgot how fast he was. Left their defence for dead every time he found a bit of space.
- We’ll forgive him the chances he missed as it was his first game back
7/10

George Jones
+ Come on and played out of position. Did a good job and played the ball simple
- Needs to be a bit more vocal on the field
6/10

Leon Semmens
+ There every week come rain or shine, will get a run out soon i’m sure

And last but not least. . .
.
Dale Hughes
Ha Ha Ha . . . Couldn’t make this boys life up, he’s good value fair play.
Came on at half time and was playing very well, knocked some nice balls down the line, won a few headers (one he’ll remember for the rest of his life) and generally looked sharp.
Then came the moment which cements his place in Stanleytown FC’s Hall of Fame. With us 2-1 up and defending for our lives, he threw his head at a cross which resulted in a sickening clash of heads and a massive gash opening up giving us a glimpse of his skull (I didn’t seen a brain mind), blood poured down his face as he was helped from the field. Then in true Hollywood fashion came a string of statements that only he could make. They went something like this: -

“Won the header though didn’t I boys”

“Don’t think I’ll be out tonight boys”

“F***ing hell, Goff told me I was starting next week too”

Everything considered then I’m giving Hollywood a 9/10

And yes Hollywood you did win the header.
Stanleytown 2 - 5 Penrhiwfer
Craig Williams (p)
Lee Bolderson
.
..
This week day clash welcomed Penrhiwfer to Stanleytown to the Recreation, where they also play their Home league matches. With the defeat to Penrhiwfer already Occurring earlier on the season, there was a revenge mission needed for the Town, in order to build upon the previous two wins which we have had.
With Town missing influential midfielder Joe Eason in the centre, that meant a re - shuffle in the midfield with Jarrad Davies dropping back into the centre, with the long awaited return of Matthew Symmons up front and Lee Bolderson coming back into the fold, replacing Gareth Smith
The game started brightly for Stanleytown, with Matthew Symmons looking quite sharp up front and nice passes being strung together throughout the midfield. After five minutes, Stanleytown were awarded a well deserved penalty. Jarrad Davies breaking through the midfield and being tripped inside the box, clear cut as you like and Craig Williams stepped up to the mark to convert his second penalty in as many games. 1-0 Stanleytown.
After twenty minutes, Matthew Symmons who had previously been fouled on two occasions and hit a bit around the park, picked up another knee injury, which meant a big disappointment for everyone around the field as the Player of the year was replaced but another promising youngster coming through the Town Ranks Martin Jones, making his Stanleytown debut.
As per usual with Stanleytown, the lead started to make them nervous and Penrhiwfer started to look the team most likely to score and 15 minutes into the game, a throw in was awarded to them, which resulted in a fierce strike, nestling nicely in the bottom right hand corner with Daniel Hurton not being able to do anything about it. 1-1
Penrhiwfer continued to press and were awarded a deserved second through a back post header and going into the half time interval Stanleytown found themselves two one down after going a goal up 2-1 penrhiwfer
The second half started pretty much as the first, with Penrhiwfer with their tails up and beginning to open up the Town defence, with some nice football. The Town conceded for a third and fourth time, before Lee Bolderson reduced the deficit with twenty minutes to go to make it 2-4. Gareth Smith also came on giving a bit more fight to the Stanleytown cause which was needed and George Jones also made a late appearance in goals to make the three substitute appearances by the Town Bench. Stanleytown began looking a bit more enthusiastic and had more energy after this, but it was far to late and after the game became that little bit more open, Stanleytown conceded for the fifth time which put the icing on the cake of a bad night
This was a bad result occurring after two positive results previously, but needs to be wiped out of their head before the big cup game Saturday, with a big squad to contend with, everyone should be on their toes playing for their places and every game is vital
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton - 6
Positive - Started well in goals, commanded the area well and talked a lot to the players. On his day, will undoubtedly be the best keeper in the league, I mean the guy use to get paid to play for Ton Y Gelli. Worked hard when called upon to go up front
Negative – Backed down to the big centre half when confronted, when a bit of aggression was needed. Target man perhaps is maybe not his best position
Garry Edwards – 6
Positive - Worked hard, had a lot of pace going down his side of the pitch and tried to get close to his opponent when needed. Beginning to get a consistent role at right back
Negative – THOSE BOOTS and perhaps suffering with a niggling knee injury, got substituted at half time...tactical/injury??
Martyn Evans – 6
Positive - Communicates well with the team and showed lots of fight when moved to centre midfield. Began to look a bit frustrated with what was going on around him during the game. Also picked up a minor knock for showing desire in the tackle.
Negative - Didnt win as many headers as usual, didn’t gel as well as usual with the back four, which has been seen in previous games
Huw Evans – 6
Positive – Tried to sort everything out all over the field, when on a few runs for the Town, showed a bit of desire when trying to get the town back into the game, chased around all night, made a few last ditched tackles to save the scorline being even more embarrassing
Negative – got frustrated with everything which was happening on the side and around the team, struggled with his opposition number, not has influential as usual, looked a bit tired
John Williams – 7 star man
Positive – Little John looked far more accomplished and worked hard at left back. Ran well up the line, showed accomplishment on the ball, won a few headers, worked well for the team and played some nice passes into the midfield
Negative – can he be mr consistent every time and got caught out on one occasion in the first half
Lee Bolderson – 6
Positive – worked hard for the team, got the team back into the game with a nice goal, can play in a number of positions for the cause,
Negative – needs more desire in the tackle, needed to be more aggressive
Carl Semmens – 6
Positive – declared himself fit for the game, showed desire when playing, had a nice left foot shot in the first half. Worked hard, but showed signs of frustration with injury
Negative – the knee injury looks to have put him out of Saturdays game, which is a pity has he has been playing well of late, struggled a lot during this game
Karl Williams – 6
Positive – still filling the gaps at the strong old age of 35, needed this experience out onto the field and nice to see him still going and going
Negative – maybe struggled a bit, conditions didn’t do justice for this mans ability as he likes to pass and move the ball around a lot more.
Jarrad Davies – 6
Positive - Worked tirelessly in the midfield, trying to get an hold of the game. Won a great penalty, showing desire and determination to force the tackle in the box.
Negative – not as influential as in previous games
Craig Williams – 6
Positive – scored a good penalty and tried to get a grip on the game up front. Was working well with symmo before the boy got injured and at to be substituted. Worked hard to try and get to the by line and cause them problems but didn’t have much to feed off during the game, dropped back more than he would of liked
Negative – not as influential as in previous games
Matthew Symmons (Darren Anderton) 6
Positive – was working hard up front and looked dangerous before going off with another injury
Negative – THOSE KNEES and needs to be taken to the gym by Frog
Subs
Martin Jones – 6
Positive – Another youngster coming through the ranks to make his debut and looks strong and pacey for a youngster. Worked hard up front and tried his best to come to terms with the senior setup. Tried his best when coming on and was a big game to be thrown into
Negative - Not as much space available for him to operate in like under 18 level, but will undoubtedly come to terms with this once he gets a few games under his belt
Gareth Smith - 6
Positive – hard game to come into for Boris and showed some desire when the game was very stretched. Made some nice strong tackles when coming on and him being on the bench shows the potential the squad as
Negative – If his fitness was there, would have a big shout for starting week in week out
George Jones – 6
Positive – Can be a good goalkeeper and has a monster of a kick. Done well coming into a game which had already slipped away from the Town. Show desire in and out of goals. Can learn a lot from Daniel Hurton in goals
Negative – is he there every week

Senior Cup
Porthcawl 7 - 1 Stanleytown
Craig Williams (p)
.
..
MATCH REPORT TO FOLLOW
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS

Stanleytown 3 - 1 Garw
Tyrone Jones
Liam Hemming
Joe Eason
.
..
MATCH REPORT TO FOLLOW
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton - 9 STAR MAN
Solid performance from our no. 1. communicates well, distribution is good and he pulled off some big saves to keep us in the game.
Positive: Made some important saves and tries to get the ball out quickly to keep the game moving. (Not so quick when we're 2-1 up, much to the annoyance of the opposition)
Negative: Took a right hook to the chin, and was lucky none of them windmills landed.

Carl Semmens - 7
Couldn't get forward as much as he would have liked to due to their winger playing more as a striker. But was disciplined and handled the punchy winger.
Positive: Confident with the ball at his feet and that dodgy knee lasted 90 minutes even though nikki reese predicted he'd go off crying after 65 minutes.
Negative: Picks on chuckles.

Garry Edwards - 8
Slotted in to centre half quite comfortably, thought he was still playing right back on a couple of occasions with his bursts forward.
Positive: Looked dangerous when he got forward. Didn't put a foot wrong in defence. Answers to the name.. Neil.
Negative: Almost made chuckles have a heart attack every time he went forward. Wanted to end a professional snooker players career by wanting to break his hand (i wouldn't mind, only he's a welsh professional snooker player)

Matthew Smith - 7
First game back for chuckles, looked like a mong with his DIY strapping of his thumb.. played like a mong when that ball went under his foot and the striker was in for a one-on-one. Luckily had the star man behind him to pull off a good save.
Positive: Defended well against a good/physical striker and didn't let the death threats from that striker affect him.
Negative: Was blowing through his arse after 60 minutes.

John Williams - 8
Some fancy foot work from the veteran 30 year old full back to get himself out of tricky positions.
Positive: Looking good for a 30 year old. Defended well when we were under pressure at the end.
Negative: To quiet on the field.

Tyrone Jones - 7
Played in his least favourite position on the wing, but got on with and did a job for the team.
Positive: We know the skills he got going forward and can beat players with ease. ++ tracked back and made some important tackles to help his team out. Took his goal well.
Negative: Wasn't on the ball as much as he/we would have liked.

Jarrad Morse Davies - 8
Same old super jarrad, gave us energy in midfield and likes a good old crunching tackle.
Positive: Had a kebab in work on friday night so he could use it to burn off the energy in football saturday.
Negative: Geezers his boss.

Karl Williams - 6
Got a great touch and a great turn. couldn't quite get the passing flowing this week.
Positive: Still loves to put a shift in for the 'town even at his age! Accepts he's slowly losing his hair, so had no problem shaving it all off. (maybe mr. stanleytown should follow suit)
Negative: Made shay wear that stupid t-shirt. (something about 19 and liverpool) Rumours are, anymore nonsense like that and nicky is phoning the childline.

Martin Jones - 6
Got the confidence to receive the ball to feet, looks strong and tracked back and helped the team defend when needed.
Positive: Seems to have grown in confidence since his debut vs penrhiwfer. He's got pace.
Negative: He's more quiet than little john on the pitch.

Craig Williams - 7
Held the ball up, won some headers dropped back into defence late on to help the team. Leads from the front.
Positive: Puts a shift in every time he puts the stanleytown top on, even when it comes to taking the TOP nets down.
Negative: Could have spent half hour more working on his house due to the ref being late. & chose the only shower that doesn't work tidy.

Liam Hemming - 7
Energetic performance from the turkish one. closed every ball down and also took his goal well.
Positive: See above.
Negative: Run out of steam towards the end.

Dale Hughes - 6
Was disappointed to be left on the bench and he didn't turn up back at the workies. That isn't the Double H: Hollywood Hughes we know and love!
Positive: Came on and showed some fight (literally) for his beloved stanleytown. Used some wrestling moves that Double H: Hulk Hogan would have been proud of.
Negative: Head was down and seemed to still be in the changing rooms.

Joe Eason - 7
Plays for porth on a monday and keeps getting injured for stanleytown, hopefully daddy will wrap him in cotton wool this week ahead of the big clash down the oval.
Positive: Came on for 10 mins, scored one, missed one, hit the bar, skinned his opponent about 67 times, other than that our kid joe done alright.
Negative: Keeps picking up knocks.

Ynyshir 2 - 0 Stanleytown
.
..
Today Stanleytown travelled down the road to local rivals Ynyshir Albions. With absentees there was again a few changes to the starting line up! The game started evenly with the odd heavy challenge going in from both teams. No great chances for either side, Ynyshir probably with the best of the chances coming from free kicks, however half time 0-0 was a fair reflection of the game. The second half kicked off and within 27 seconds Ynyshir had the ball in the back of the Stanleytown net, 1-0 Ynyshir. However Stanleytown didn’t let their heads drop and fought back with a few good chances, the best of which came to Lee Bolderson who found himself 1 on 1 with the keeper but put it just over the bar. It was Ynyshir who got the next goal after the ball was crossed from the by line, the ynyshir runner wasn’t picked up and poked the ball past the helpless Daniel Hurton, 2-0 Ynyshir. But once again Stanleytown didn’t let their heads drop and still created a few chances. Craig Williams found himself in a great position only to fire the ball over the crossbar. Another great chance fell to Tyrone Jones, when the ball was crossed from deep, he found himself with space but volleyed over the bar. Final score Ynyshir Albions 2 - 0 Stanleytown.
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton - 7
Positive - Pulled off some great saves. Got the ball out to the defenders quickly, also reads the game well and is quick off his line
Negative - Couple of scuffed kicks, thats about it

Carl Semmens - 7
Done ok

John Williams - 7
Positive - Knocked some lovely balls down the line and shows for the ball every time.
Negative - couldn’t make the end, those legs are getting older by the second!

Matthew Smith - 8 STAR MAN
Positive - For the time he was on the field he was awesome (kind of hurts to say that) won headers, showed good pace and commitment against a tricky striker.
Negative - Couldn’t quite last the full 90, looks like keith lemon with his hand strapped up, and bailed out in ponty and was tucked up in bed by 10 o clock

Barrie Jones - 7
Positive - Another who was excellent in defence, solid. Anything that got through Matthew, Barrie was there sweeping up.
Negative - Hangover killed him and couldn’t last the whole 90, friday night drinking isn’t good for you barrie!

Tyrone Jones - 7
Positive - Played through the pain with his injured knee, showed awesome skill in phases and worked tirelessly up and down the wing.
Negative - Another victim of the dreaded hangover, the mess on the boy when he walked into the changing room was a sight to see

Martin Jones - 7
Positive - This young guy could turn out to be a Stanleytown great. Has bags of pace, doesn’t stop working, has great skill and gets stuck in.
Negative - Not sure if he’s game for a few pints after the match

Joe Eason - 7
Positive - First half he was running the show, was everywhere, putting himself about and showing his silky skills, ynyshir just couldn’t handle him!
Negative - Second half he went missing a little, don’t know if he took a knock or got injured but he just seemed to run out of steam

Lee Bolderson - 7
Positive - Another who ran tirelessly, has got a great touch and composure on the ball, plays with elegance
Negative - Had the chance of the match and put it over the bar against his former club, sadly still known as 'scab'

Dale Hughes - 7
Positive - This was it, hollywoods chance, and he took it. was put in the middle for his physical presence, the usual mistimed tackle 'sorry ref i didn’t mean it' from hollywood, but done well against a good opponent
Negative - Sorry dale but texting the manager in the night to say thanks for the game is just wrong, top brown nose (ooops did i just mention nose) also now known as the slowest player at the club
ALSO Dale Hughes has now started a vigorous training regime in the gym in order to maintain his place in the starting line up, well done mate.

Craig Williams - 7
Positive - Won almost everything in the air, ran his socks off as usual and held the ball up well, the usual frog man really, always puts in a shift!
Negative - Found himself isolated on many occasions, with no one near him. won headers but with no one around him its wasted

Nikki Reese - 6
Positive - Told Goff before kick off he will always have his boots for Stanleytown.....then had to go home to get his boots. Came on for chuckles, done well running at defenders and showing for the ball
Negative - Now known as the new recluse, due to staying in saturday night for xfactor, chuckles went home early but at least he made the effort fred

Leon Semmens - 6
Positive - Rare chance for geezer who came on for little john, feet like michael flatley, turning the striker inside out. Doesn’t get a game every week but always there when needed
Negative - Thought he was wrestling when having a little tussle with the striker

Gareth Griffiths - 6
Positive - Nearly up to peak fitness, came on and changed the game, was a mountain in the defence, runner up for star man easy
Negative - Simple....none!

George Jones - Unused sub, will get his chance

Special mention to Garry goog Edwards how injured his ankle in the warm up, absolute tool!
Despite the loss, there was some positives to take from the game, work rate was awesome from every player, just need to be bit more clinical in front of goal and results will start to go our way. keep up the good work

Stanleytown 4 - 1 Nelson
Jarrad Davies
Craig Williams (2)
Dale Hughes
.
..
Today Stanleytown welcomed Nelson to Stanleytown Recreation for the third time this season. With the defeat to local rivals Ynyshir behind them, this was opportunity for the Town to get another three . With a
Jpoints on the table and climb further towards the promotion places robust display from the Town previously, the gaffa decided to stick with the many players that played that game, with ‘keep the same side I would’ Hugh Evans coming in for ‘stag do’ departed John Williams, with Jarrad Davies replacing Joe Eason in the centre and top Penrhys man Liam Hemming replacing Martyn Jones as part of a four – three – three attack. The game started brightly for the Town, with them looking comfortable with the ball at their feet and the opening came through in the tenth minute. Hugh Evans darted down the left hand side, and played a lovely acute ball over the top for Jarrad Davies, and the skill of the Maerdy man meant he was able to chip a lovely ball over the keeper, to round off a beautiful goal. As per usual with Stanleytown the lead meant they began to get nervous again, and kept trying to hit that final ball all the time. Nelson did create one good opportunity for them, but they found in form Daniel Hurton hard to pass, where he was able to pull off one beautiful save in the first half. More composure from Stanleytown was needed, which meant a pep talk from the Gaffa at half time. Half time 1-0. During the second half, Nelson started brightly, with them pressing Stanleytown for the equaliser, which they eventually got ten minutes into the second half. Stanleytown conceded a free kick just outside the penalty area, where a beautiful ball was floated in and the centre half was able to power himself above everything and nod in the equaliser 1-1. This began to brighten Stanleytown up, with them playing some decent football. some nice football down the right with Matt Smith playing the ball into Hollywood Hughes, who played a one two with Leigh Bolderson who put in a cracking cross to Jarrad davies who could of scored the goal of the season, . Stanleytown then had a second with Craig Williams poweringJbut headed over through on his left side, and doing something which he does effortlessly for Stanleytown at the moment and smashing a lovely left footed peg into the bottom corner 2-1 Stanleytown. Nelson then had a player dismissed, which meant Stanleytown were then able to capitalise on this and Craig Williams was able to notch his second of the game, with a fine right foot finish past the keeper 3-1 Stanleytown. With ten minutes to go, in order to relieve lots of pressure, the fourth goal then came, and what a goal it was. Tyrone Jones, who give Dale ‘Hollywood’ Hughes the eyes in the box, stroked a beautiful ball into the box, where Jarrad Davies went for it first, before looking quickly back and seeing that Dale ‘Hollywood’ Hughes was behind him, put a lovely first touch on it, which fell awkwardly for Hollywood, Calm as you like Hollywood Hughes took it on his left foot like he has done throughout his illustrious career, didn’t look up as he knew where the goal was, and hit a thunderbolt with his right passed the keeper, who had not a chance in the world to save it, with the fans cheering his name has he ran away to celebrate with them behind the ‘Town End’ and the players coming over to congratulate him on such an inch perfect finish J
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton – 7
Positive - Daniel pulled off a beautiful save in the first half to deny their striker, knows how to calm things down and to be fair is up there with one of the top keepers around at the moment. Very lucky to have this boy as Stanleytowns number one. Says he feels more comfortable knowing Hollywood is on the team sheet
Negative – Gets under his opponents skin with his delays on goal kicks etc, but we all love it

Carl Semmens – 7
Positive – Another positive display from Carlos at full back, enjoying his football very much at the moment, putting in some lovely tackles and has a beautiful touch to go with it, hits some lovely balls down the right and no signs of the that niggling knee injury that was beginning to haunt him previously in the season. Says he feels more comfortable knowing Hollywood is on the team sheet
Negative – I can resemble an argument going on with another player during the game but I might be wrong?? Also almost got us all late for football, cos he needed to pick up cans for his mother

Matthew Smith – 8
Positive – Brilliant and strong display from chuckles at the back. Marked his opposition out of the game and got under his skin throughout. Great commitment for the cause, looking very assured and forming a great partnership with Barrie Jones at the back. Won some very good headers throughout to. Says he enjoys playing with Hollywood Hughes again. Just missed out on star man
Negative – Needs to stop getting other players booked, but did offer to pay half. Almost made us one hour late for football

Barrie Jones – 8
Positive – Like his partner at the back, was strong and comfortable throughout. Headed and defended well, went on a few runs and also took another knock to that bonce of his. Good display from Barrie and looking good in his centre half position. Great athlete to have around the place. Says he gets more delight out of knowing Hollywood is on the team sheet than himself. Just missed out on star man
Negative – Didn’t see him back at the club again

Huw Evans – 7
Positive – Huw Evans came back into the fold for the departed John Williams and slotted in very nicely. Played a beautiful ball over the top for the first goal, defended really well and was very composed throughout the ninety minutes. Great to have the old head back in the side and played like he has never been away. Says Hollywood Hughes reminds him of Scott Parker
Negative – Got booked again for a disgusting rant at the ref, was lucky not to get sent off to be fair, needs to cool his temper

Lee Bolderson – 7
Positive – Lee Bolderson, made some cracking runs forward, marked his man when needed, hit some lovely balls into Frog and could have scored one in the second half. Runs all day in midfield, one of the fittest players and slotted back into holding midfield when needed. Says playing with Hollywood Hughes makes him have so much space in midfield, that he is able to enjoy the game more.
Negative – Could get forward a bit more, cos he is brilliant with the ball at feet

Jarrad Davies – 9 STAR MAN
Positive – Scored a brilliant opening goal for the Town, where he chipped the keeper, ran all day in midfield, won headers, had some lovely touches, made some lovely attacking runs, created lots of space for himself and looked very attacking when pressing forward. Could have scored one of the goals of the season and worked tirelessly throughout. Lovely flick on for Hollywood Hughes’s goal
Negative – Young Rhys is beginning to follow his dad’s bad habits and likes to nick peoples alcoholic beverages off the floor

Liam Hemming -7
Positive – Liam again worked tirelessly for the cause, has some great robust strength up front, and looks a great signing for the Town this year and a great player to have around the squad. His strength and determination for the cause is top drawer, quiet off the field but puts himself about constantly on it. Got a lovely touch and unlucky not to score today. Says Hollywood Hughes is his role model
Negative – Left Dale ‘Hollywood’ Hughes behind in Cardiff and doesn’t seem to want to drink a pint after the game

Tyrone Jones -8
Positive – Tyrone is beginning to show his quality the last few games especially, is movement away from players is looking sharp and he is able to keep possession of the ball very well. Looks to have formed a good partnership with Frog up front, loves to take players on and in doubt the way he is playing will be a key to Stanleytown finishing highly in the league this year. Also looking stronger nowadays and shrugs off players with quick darts away from them, touch is quality. Says Hollywood Hughes reminds him of a young Claude Makalele
Negative – hope the knee holds up for the rest of the season

Craig Williams -8
Positive – Scored another two goals, the one with his weaker left foot was an absolute peach. Got frustrated in the first half with us banging it up to him, but he outplayed his opposition number again and his movement is looking sharp, is enjoying his town days massively and is another player vital to the Town Cause. Robust display from the Towns number 9. Also not frightened to take on players and actually has frightening pace for a big striker. Says Hollywood Hughes should be on penalties, free kicks and even captain
Negative – hates the ball being pumped up to him all the time, but when u r six foot two and sixteen stone full
Jof muscle, why not

Dale ‘Hollywood’ Hughes 7
Positive – Won headers, filled in for Barrie when he went on darting runs and beginning to enjoy his football again. Loves a tackle and wasn’t booked this week, which can only keep the ‘inland revenue’ of magua and Tom off his back. Scored a wonder strike (see report) and enjoyed playing with the other two boys in midfield. Loved how when he scored, Carlos and Chuckles had their hands on
Jtheir head, thinking ‘why him’
Negative – Fitness is still not 100% and needed to bring about a bit more composure on the ball in the first half

Leon Semmens (Rory Delap) 7
Positive – Fair play to Geezer he is there every week without fail and always in training and coming off the bench and doing well. Came on, and almost scored which would have had everyone diving on him for sure, with his right foot. Works hard when he comes on and shows lots of glimpses of skill
Negative – Throw in to Stanleytown, Delap picks it up, and throws a ‘dynamite’ of a through into the box (don’t think there were any players in the box mind) but one hell of a through, whistle goes, fowl throw. Can’t wait to pick up Hollywood in the mornings to have advice about football

Marc Daniels (Danno) 9
Positive – This guy has been voted as one of the top players to ever where the Stanleytown shirt and you can see why, cos he is still doing it at the grand old age of …. Came on as a sub, slotted in lovely in the holding midfield, is great to have around as he commands the midfield, tells people where to slot in and still as enthusiastic as ever. Still tackles well and uses the ball well. The greatness of the man was clearly seen on Sunday morning, where Hollywood Hughes caught a train home at nine o clock in the morning from Saturday night in Cardiff (long story), as I got off train, (cos I had no battery left in my phone) I walked to the bus stop in ystrad in the hope that a bus would be on its way to maerdy and who happens to drive past, to take Hollywood to Maerdy, the legend that is, Mark Daniels thank you very much.
Negative – THERE IS NONE!!!!

Sorry about the delay in report boy and I hope you enjoy the read, Lets get those three points Saturday now….UP THE TOWN!!!!!

Brackla 3 - 3 Stanleytown
Lee Bolderson
Tyrone Jones
Joe Eason
.
..
Stanleytown travelled to Bridgend this week to play Brackla FC and on the back of a good win against Nelson last week spirits were high and were looking to take all three points and climb up the league.

First half
Town started the brightest and it didn’t take them long to take the lead when Lee (Scab) Bolderson gambled on a ball over the top and it fell kindly to him after a mistake from the Brackla keeper tap in 1-0. Stanleytown continued to press but didn’t really trouble the keeper they almost seemed happy just to play in their own half and this proved a big mistake when Brackla won the ball in the town half and played in their striker who stumbled in the box under a robust challenge from Barrie Jones the ref pointed to the spot a decision that surprised most the travelling players 1-1. things soon got worse for Stanleytown when crazy Gary felt a little light headed which resulted in a substitution with the skilful Joe Eason replacing him just before the end of the half 1-1 half time.

Second Half
Half time substitution Jarrad Davies replaced by young starlet Adam Green. Both sides started well with Daniel Hurton being the busiest of the goal keepers and producing some good saves to keep his side in it Matthew Smith also came close to scoring but the opposing keeper pulled off a great save, Stanleytown took the lead once again half way through the second half when energetic striker Tyrone Jones hard work paid off when he challenged a long ball with the Brackla Keeper who fumbled the ball yet again to give the striker a tap in 2-1 Stanleytown. Yet again Stanleytown took their foot off the gas and invited pressure on themselves and give away a sloppy freekick just outside the box which was executed superbly with both power and precision Daniel Hurton no chance in goal 2-2 this seemed to spur the home side in to life and they immediately got a third with some great play down the right wing they whipped the ball in and the striker finished it off nicely 3-2 with ten mins to play. Stanleytown were staring at defeat and not playing particularly well but were always a threat with Lee Bolderson and Joe Eason on the break and it was Eason who beat the offside trap to find himself one on one with the keeper and took his goal well to tie the game 3-3 final whistle. A poor Display for Stanleytown today and they were fortunate to come away with a point.

PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton – 8
Positive- Made some good saves to keep his side in the game another solid performance
Negative- Broke his hand hopefully be back soon

Carl Semmens – 6
Positive-always gives his all no matter what position
Negative-another one struggling with injury needs to sort out his dodgy knee

Matthew Smith – 7
Positive – did well against a tricky striker who liked to dive a lot
Negative – booked for a bad tackle lucky not to see red

Garry Edwards – 5
Positive – this guy always smiling really is the joker at the club
Negative- got the run around early on made him dizzy forced off due to dizziness ?

John Williams – 7
Positive- Attacked every chance he got from full back just what we needed
Negative – needs to improve his fitness so he can go up and down all game

Lee Bolderson Star Man – 9
Positive – one of his best games for stanleytown worked tirelessly and has got a lovely touch simply stood out today
Negative- let down by those around him today

Huw Evans – 6
Positive – can play this old man anywhere
Negative – showing his age now maybe needs to work harder in training or at least turn up even in the rain

Barrie Jones – 6
Positive – runs all day and not afraid to put his boot in
Negative- give the ball away on few occasions unlucky to concede a penalty

Jarrad Davies – 6
Positive –went off half time
Negative-Turned up

Tyrone Jones – 8
Positive – worked hard chasing back scored didn’t moan today either
Negative- needs to be bit greedier and take players on

Craig Williams – 6
Positive – won the aerial battle once again
Negative- not his day in front of goal his volley says it all

Joe Eason – 7
Positive- scored a good goal plenty of tricks in his locker nightmare for defenders
Negative-seems to be carrying an injury needs to start

Adam Green – 6
Positive-played some nice passes worked hard
Negative- needs to get involved in the game more another one for the future

Gareth Griffiths – 8
Positive- brought on for his pace and troubled the defence straight away also working hard to win the ball back
Negative- was shattered after his five mins on the pitch needs to work harder in training

Marc Daniels – unused sub
Positive – seems to be enjoying his football especially the training
Negative – he’s nearly 50

George Jones – unused sub
Positive- 100% commitment of the boy can’t ask for more

Leon Semmens – unused sub
Positive – another one who is 100 % committed looking for a chance at full back with his brother struggling may get a chance soon

Stanleytown 1 - 2 Max United
Tyrone Jones
.
..
In todays game we welcomed local rivals max united to the recreational ground. With a near enough full squad to choose from giving the manager some selection problems. The first half started pretty brightly with a lot of good football being played only missing product was the final ball and the exquisite finish. The deadlock was nearly broken midway through the first half when John Williams hit a thunderbolt of a volley from 20 yards out that would have changed the pattern of the game but some how it hit the defender in the face and dropped him. Stanleytown were running the show and the half time whistle went, luckily for the max. In the 2nd half I think everybody on the sidelines were expecting the same performance but some how this didn’t happen, we were still in the changing rooms and couldn’t string 3 passes together. max got a goal which hit us hard and the entire teams heads were down which resulting in another goal, how ever it could of been a few more but George Jones pulling off a few fine saves, with final 10 minutes left on the clock this must of triggered us to start playing a lot football and were punishing the max defence, Tyrone Jones scored a cracking goal after some brilliant played football and then his individual work that topped it of nearly breaking the net. We kept pushing to try to get that vital goal but it never came!! Next week we travel to Grange Albions where we need to work harder than previous games.
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
George Jones 7
Positive-played a big part in the game with a few fines saves
Negative- not verbal enough thinks hes just too friendly

Carl Semmens 6
Positive-good few tackles and his commitment is 2nd to none
Negative-his passing game wasn’t there today and had a few stray balls

John Williams 6
Positive-would of been goal of the season if that volley went in, commitment is up there with the best
Negative- was pulling into the centre a bit too much, lost that right winger a few times

Matthew Smith 6
Positive-won headers and a few good tackles himself and Barrie forming bit of a duo at the back
Negative-needs to be more vocal at the back and that little bit stronger

Barrie Jones 6
Positive- won headers and a lot of tackles
Negative- i don’t think he likes it at the back think he prefers to be in the middle of the park

Joe Eason 6
Positive- highly rated by a lot and his fancy football first half showed why
Negative- seems to have the odd 15 minutes where his goes down and goes missing

Jarrad Davies 6
Positive-endless energy is what he brings to every game and loves a good tackle
Negative-his passing was a bit stray

Huw Evans 8 STAR MAN
Positive-the star man played some good football didn’t stop all game
Negative- needs to keep those 2 yard passes going all game

Lee Bolderson 7
Positive-endless energy and likes to keep the ball on the deck
Negative- needs to be more ruthless when around the box

Tyrone Jones 7
Positive-got the vital goal and doesn’t stop always playing through the pain barrier
Negative needs to be more ruthless in front of goal

Craig Williams 6
Positive-prefers the ball at his feet and was playing everything simple
Negative-just wasn’t his day in front of goal

Subs
Martin Jones 6
Positive-physical quick and works hard need him to be there week in week out
Negative- needs to be there every week

Adam Green 6
Positive- changed the way we played every thing was 2 yard passes and that’s what’s needed
Negative- huws playing in the same position that adam wants to and lets be honest huw having a blinder

Dale Hughes 6
Positive- hard to get in the game at 2 nil down but done what was asked
Negative- he's a qualified ref and yet still forgets to give his name to the ref when he comes on

Leon Semmens
Positive-hard working on and off the field when his time comes im sure he will grab it with 2 hands

Garry Edwards
Positive- done a linesmans job for 10 minutes and was impressive can run faster backwards than forwards

Bruty Cup (after extra time)
Grange Albion 4 - 3 Stanleytown
Craig Williams 2
Lee Bolderson
.
..
Today Stanleytown travelled down the motorway to division 1 highfliers Grange Albion for the second round of the Bruty cup, with several changes from last weeks starting line up against the max. Stanleytown couldn’t have wished for a better start when they went 1-0 up in the first few minutes when Craig Williams put the ball in the back of the net from close range. However the lead was short lived as within 10 minutes, Grange Albion had the ball in the Stanleytown net to even things up at 1-1. A moment of brilliance was to follow as Craig Williams hit the ball from kick off and the ball landed up in the top corner of the net, 2-1 Stanleytown. The game continued to sway back and fore and it was Grange Albion who got the ball in the net next for 2-2. However Stanleytown showed some great spirit and came back fighting and got their rewards as Lee Bolderson scored a brilliant effort from the edge of the box to make it 3-2 Stanleytown. But once again Stanleytown failed to hold on to the lead and it was Grange Albion who got the next goal to even things up at 3-3. Stanleytown went in at half time full of high spirit and this showed in the second half with the performance, with no further goals scored in the 90 minutes. Extra time kicked off and within minutes Grange Albion had the ball in the net from a questionable goal to say the least, with the striker seeming yards offside. However the referee gave the goal and Stanleytown were behind. They didn’t let this get them down and still created a few good chances and defended valiantly but couldn’t get the goal they needed and the game finished 4-3 Grange Albion after extra time.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
George Jones - 8
Positive - Made several excellent saves to keep us in the game. Is improving with every game.
Negative - Did start coming out to meet the ball at the end but needs to do it more often. Also still a bit quiet, dont be intimidated by barrie mate, SCREAM at the back 4!

Adam Green - 7
Positive - Took his chance well, wasnt afraid to get stuck in and make some challenges, looks comfortable on the ball
Negative - Ripped the number 2 shirt :(

Garry Edwards - 7
Positive - Lasted longer than 10 minutes. Played some good stuff first half with joe eason
Negative - Probably the thickest boy ive ever met

Barrie Jones - 7
Positive - Looks at home in centre back slot. Has lots of strength and puts himself about the park well winning tackles and headers.
Negative - Think he wants to play centre midfield.

Huw Evans - 7
Positive - Started back in his usual centre back spot and looked like he never been away. excellent all game.
Negative - Took the boys on a sight seeing tour of cardiff half hour before kick off

Dale Hughes - 11
Positive - Back in the starting line up. Just what the team needs, someone in the middle of the park, throwing themselves into tackles, getting under the skin of the opposition. took his chance well
Negative - defiantly the worst driver ive ever been in the car with, backed up by geezer and squirt as well. Got lost on the way home about 4 times, carlos had to take over directions and get us home
Another negative - Got beat up on the floor by a lad 5 foot

Jarrad Davies - 7
Positive - Another who puts himself around the field well, flying into tackles, give his all
Negative - Unfortunately his all was a bit too much for the ref and he had an early shower. Seems to be struggling a bit with fitness as well

Lee Bolderson - 8
Positive - Another awesome display from lee in the middle of the field. Always looking for the ball, dropping in holes all over, stanleytowns catalyst. Excellent finish, Contender for star man
Negative - Cant think of one

Joe Eason - 8
Positive - Has bags of skill, turns defenders inside out. played a great ball for the first goal. contender for star man
Negative - Should shoot a bit more

Martin Jones - 7
Positive - Worked tirelessly up and down the wing, showed great character getting stuck into challenges. didnt stop for the full 120 minutes
Negative - Not there every week due to work commitments

Craig Williams - 8 STAR MAN
Positive - Scored 2 goals, ran his socks off all game, chasing back, always moving and showing for the ball. lead by example, captain fantastic!
Negative - His goal was good, but still not as good as carlos goal in pre season :)

Carl Semmens - 7
Positive - Came on for Gary, done ok. Got the boys home regardless of hollywoods reckless driving
Negative - knee problem continues to haunt him

Tyrone Jones - 7
Positive - Came on in the middle of the park to add a bit of flair, got the ball down and played some nice passes out to the wing. Work rate was top draw again
Negative - Friday night drinking getting a bit of a habit, hell of a mess on the boy before kick off

Daniel Hurton - 7
Positive - Came on up front in extra time, Put himself about and got under the skin of the opponents
Negative - Missed a good chance late on, and his maradonna impression was well poor

Leon Semmens - Unused sub. always there, will get a chance

John Williams - Unused sub. Was on call with the pregnant mrs due

Alex Thomas - Unused sub, hes back!! and apparently hes a gerbil :)

Despite the loss, cant fault the performance from everyone. Everyone gave 110% and never gave up. Lets take this into next weeks game and get 3 points and get us back up the league!

St Josephs 2 - 0 Stanleytown
.
..
Today Stanleytown travelled down to St Josephs. We started with a few changes again; we were hoping to start off the way we played last week. We started off on the defensive with all the attack coming from St Josephs. We were lucky not to go down 2 or 3 nil in the first 10 mins but we started to show a bit more intent with our passing and a couple of attacks of our own. We managed to stay in the game through out the first half. In the second half St Josephs come out strong with all the attack coming from them. We held them for a while but then we stared making errors with our passing with balls over the top going astray. St Josephs grew in confidence and found the back of the net. From there our heads dropped and we couldn't play as a team. St Josephs managed to grab a second goal to clinch the victory. Over all we played a poor game and didn't play at our best. I think we need to start keeping more of the ball and showing more will to want to win the game.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
George Jones - 5
Was a lot better collecting the corners and crosses, and was more vocal to his defence (keep it up)
His goal kicking is on par with Tom Lewis's (and for those who haven’t seen toms kicking, its shocking)

Carl Semmens - 7
Won some nice headers and tackles. tried getting forward a bit more and played the easy ball. Absolutely gutted after the match!
Gave a free kick for picking the ball up when the throwing hadn’t been given (it had actually gone out, but tom was too slow to keep up with play and hadn’t raised his flag)

Barrie Jones - 7 STAR MAN
One of the few positives to come out of the game. didn’t miss much at the back. pushed forward a lot when we went down to provide extra attack.
Missing for a few weeks due to his fight around the corner, will be a loss.

Huw Delmut Evans - 5
Didn’t have his greatest of games. did win a lot in the air though and is being allowed out to watch barries fight!
Another OG to add to his list, could be up there for Stanleytown all time top scorer if own goals counted!

Adam Green - 5
A different player from the week before. a victim of the friday night drinking i think. also carrying an injury 'wink wink'
looks a good player on the ball but needs to be a little more physical

Lee Bolderson - 7
Once again one of the best players in the stanleytown shirt. is always showing for the ball and providing another option for the player with the ball. has great vision!
Can’t remember lee giving away so many fouls, one of them was absolutely stinking (but he did apologise so its ok)

Jarrad Moorse Davies - 7
Given man of the match by the opposition and it was easy to see why. getting back to his old self with his energy and bursting runs
Another missing next week due to suspension

Martin Jones - 6
Tireless running up and down the wing, didn’t stop running and got stuck in to his opponent.
Lost the ball on a few occasions trying to pass his opponent (however cant fault him for having a go, more of this we need)

Joe Eason - 6
Another who i think was victim to the friday night drinking. Wasn’t at his best today, struggled late on
Was looking sharp early on with his flair in the middle and spreading the ball wide.

Tyrone Jones - 6
Was looking good, dropping out wide for the ball and playing some nice one twos. Also made some nice runs
Didn’t really get the service on a frustrating day for tyrone

Craig Williams - 6
Suspected damage to a nerve in his back keeps haunting frog (should have seen him playing snooker saturday night, was comical, but its ok, carlos won the game for them) ;)
Always gives 100 percent and busts his balls for every game. with numbers already down next week, craig will be a worry!

Garry Edwards - 6
Slotted in for the injured Adam Green. Done what he was put in for. Could be a class player if he wasn’t messing about so much.
As above...always messing about, sometimes its good but sometimes you need to be serious

Dale Hughes - 6
Came on for frog to sit in the middle and break things up. Did get win plenty of tackles and got up the noses of his opponents
Needs to be a little calmer on the ball. he seems to win the ball back and then throw a wild pass, calm down hollywood!

Gareth Harris - 6
Came on for Martin Jones. Seems to be a great addition to the squad. showed pace, good control and skill
Lost possession in a good position a few times, think he was keen to impress on his debut!

Daniel Hurton - Unused sub, another missing through suspension next week

Alex Thomas - Unused sub, will surely get his chance soon

Leon Semmens - Unused sub, as said on saturday, if we had 15 with his attitude we would be in the top half of the table without doubt.

Fairwater 3 - 0 Stanleytown
.
..
Today Stanleytown took a little trip down to fairwater looking for a good performance and 3 points. The game started brightly for the town with some good passing and decent movement, nearly went one up when Joe Eason broke through only to bring a decent save from the keeper, few minutes later it was like deja vu when he broke through again to be blown off side. The deadlock was broken when fairwater struck with shot that somehow managed to beat George Jones; the second came 10 minutes later when they were awarded a penalty which they converted. The third was scored just before half time when a poor kick from George fell to their striker who struck the ball straight back for George to tip into his own net. Half time blew and it was disappointing to be 3 nil down.

Second half started and our work rate was second to none we worked hard as a team and played for each other, problem was we were losing 3 nil, a big positive and push for the team were the returns of the so called O.A.Ps Danno, Nicky and Gary good job all playing for longer than half hour.
PLAYER RATINGS
George Jones 5
Needs to stop being so nice

Garry Edwards 7
Played well nice to see his concentration lasted over 70mins

Adam Green 7
Another sturdy performance, always consistent when his heads on the game

Huw Evans 6
Sadly got injured in the first half

Carl Semmens 9 star player
At centre half i think he's found his new position

Martin Jones 8
Contender for star man worked his socks off

Marc Daniels 7
Worked well good to have him in the mix of things

Joe Eason 7
Stuff he does to people makes them look silly, only if he had 90 mins of concentration

Tyrone Jones 7
Just doesn't stop, playing great football and like to keep it on the deck

Alex Thomas 8
First game back and he's looking sharp,

Dale Hughes 7
Worked well as a striker, i want to know how many times his hands are on his head in a match

Gary Thomas 7
A rock at the back boots more often would be a bonus

Nicky Rees 7
Give different options up front worked well

Leon Semmens 7
Slotted in at left back well, could be the new rory delap with those throws.

Stanleytown 0 - 1 Cadoxton
This week Stanleytown welcomed Cadoxton. Again struggling for numbers it was down to the older generation to step up and help the town. Playing in their new kit spirits started high for Stanleytown. This was shown throughout the first half when they defended valiantly and created a few good chances, most notably was Tyrone Jones who went in 1 on 1 with the keeper and just seemed to change his mind at the last second and forced a good save from t he Cadoxton keeper. However after some tough battling it finished half time 0-0. The second half started as the first ended with both sides battling for possession, however the breakthrough came after approximately 60 mins when a ball played over the top to the Cadoxton striker who just managed to beat the Stanleytown offside line and took the ball around Tom Lewis and tapped the ball home, 1-0 Cadoxton! The boys didn’t let this get to them and carried on plugging away at the Cadoxton defence but with little to prove. They were denied an almost certain penalty at the end of the game and the final score was Stanleytown 0-1 Cadoxton!
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 8 STAR MAN
Made some tremendous saves, kicking was excellent, Daniel could be in trouble this week! Doesn’t shout when he’s coming out for the ball tho and hesitates when he has the ball in hand!

Adam Green - 6
Caught out with the ball over the top quite a few times, but stuck at it and got the better of his opposition a good few times

John Williams - 7
Mrs due to pop any second, and where is john i hear you ask?.....he’s on the field with the boys! my idol! showed what the town have missed, comfortable on the ball, knocked some lovely balls down the wing and put in some good tackles

Gareth Griffiths - 6
Played through injury when needed by Stanleytown, cant ask for more than that. used his physical presence to win headers and made some great challenges, only problem was getting him off the floor after them

Carl Semmens - 7
Loving his time at centre half. Won a few headers, put in some challenges, reads the game. Still learning his new position tho

Marc Daniels - 7
Likes a big tackle, you get the same every week from danno, 100% commitment, hard challenges, encouragement. great to have around the club! did play 90 minutes this week so he’s a doubt for training

Joe Eason - 7
One of the Stanleytown players that can make things happen, has an abundance of skill. very unlucky not to get awarded a penalty at the end. having a go at poor tom in goals

Tyrone Jones - 7
Missed a great chance in the first half. played some great football in spells out on the wing, lovely one twos, all that’s missing is the end product

Martin Jones - 7
always gives his all. Doesn’t stop chasing back and tackling. Also showed great feet to beat his man and got the ball in the box on several occasions

Nicky Rees - 7
Dusted off his strikers boots when the town needed him, showed what a striker should be doing. always on the move and chased everything down. Only downfall was when he got the ball

Craig Williams - 7
Tricky game against a good defender but won plenty of headers and showed for the ball continuously. was isolated tho with nobody near him!

Gareth Smith - 6
Good to see gareth back at the club, only came down to watch and ended up helping the boys out. Came on, got in the strikers face, ruffled a few feathers. was blowing through his a**e at the end but done his job

Garry Edwards - 6
Came on with a bardy chest, made one or two good runs forward, glides around the field like bambi

Leon Semmens - 6
Loves a long throw, got caught in one or two tricky situations much to the frustration of his younger brother, but did make 'that one sweeping tackle'

Gary Thomas - unused sub, Fulfilled his lifelong dream of sharing a field with his boy last week, was there again with his boots this week for the town

George Jones - Unused sub, with tom having a stormer George could find himself on the bench next week, but will be there supporting no matter what!

Despite the result, there are a few positives to take from todays game. Effort levels were excellent till the final whistle, communication was great on the field and some fine individual performances. And with several players to return, things are looking good. Only thing is we need to start making our chances count and results will start coming our way soon! keep it up lads!
Special mention to Barrie Jones on winning his fight and becoming welsh champion, great fight.
Another special mention to Dale hollywood Hughes who was in butlins on the raz when the rest of the lads were on the field representing the town!

St Albans 0 - 3 Stanleytown
Joe Eason
Craig Williams
Lee Bolderson
.
..
This weeks game we travelled to Cardiff yet again to play St Albans. With a near enough full squad to choose from the boys had high expectations. Game started brightly with Stanleytown the team trying to play football in terrible conditions, some good football led to a string of passes and a cracking finish by Joe Eason to make it one nil. Few moments later St Albans had their first shot on goal only for returning Daniel Hurton to make a comfortable save. Half time came with the town still one up. second half started the same as the first with Stanleytown the team trying to play football, the work rate by the whole team was second to none and resulted in a free kick about 20 yards out only for Craig Williams to take the ball and put it in the back of the net. At 2-0 the town were looking pretty comfortable to go on for the win, how ever St Albans kept pushing forward and nearly got a goal but Daniel Hurton managed to keep it out. With 10 minutes left on the clock the game was won when lee Bolderson hit a 25 yard volley and lobbed the keeper. 3-0 victory and a deserved clean sheet.
.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton 8
made 2 saves apart from that didnt have much to do

Huw Evans 7
pulled to right back and was solid from start to finish

John Williams 7
good performance put in a good shift and got forward a lot more

Carl Semmens 9 STAR MAN
new position in the centre and is comfortable with the ball only problem hes watching the egg chasing next week

Barrie Jones 8
the partnership with carlos is the best we have had all season, likes to get his body on the line

Martin Jones 8
week in week out does the same thing just doesn’t stop

Tyrone Jones 8
another winger with great energy and skill some good balls although we won’t mention that miss

Lee Bolderson 8
scored that screamer and was going to run over to his old man to celebrate good to have him back

Jarrad Davies 8
didn’t stop all game and liked the physical side of the game

Joe Eason 8
scored in his first role as a striker but missed a few needs to take shooting tips off his brother

Craig Williams 8
captain frog put in his usual performance and then got put in the back solid game

Subs
Garry Edwards 7
played well when he come on apart from that the boy is a beauty

Dale Hughes 7
come on done what was asked, rumour has it when found out he was on the bench he hoped we would lose

Unused subs
Alex Thomas
going to find it hard with the form of players in his position

Leon Semmens
our rory delap is there with out fail

George Jones
another like geeza there without fail

Stanleytown 2 - 4 Tongwynlais
Craig Williams
Jarrad Davies
.
..
MATCH REPORT T FOLLOW
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS

Llwynypia 3 - 2 Stanleytown
Tyrone Jones (2)
.
..
MATCH REPORT TO FOLLOW
.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Nelson 2 - 4 Stanleytown
Martin Jones
Craig Williams (p)
Matthew Symmons 2
First game back after the Xmas period and Stanleytown travelled over to nelson, where the 2 clubs 4th meeting this season. With a good mood in the dressing room and the return of Matthew Symmons and Martyn Evans there was a good feeling about the day. This was highlighted when some early pressure paid off and Martin Jones struck a fierce shot from the edge of the area which found its way under the keeper and in to the back of the net, 1-0 Stanleytown. However the game still seemed pretty even with both sides playing some good football. But it was Stanleytown who got the next goal with a fine bit of passing, and when John Williams squared the ball to Alex Thomas on the edge of the area, Alex was able to take a touch into the area before being brought down by the Nelson defender. Penalty, and up step captain Craig Williams to slot the ball home neatly in the bottom left corner, 2-0 Stanleytown. After lots of battling for possession this is how the half finished.
The second half started with Nelson applying the pressure and looking the more likely to score. However with the introduction of Matthew Symmons for Tyrone Jones, this soon changed and after some fine football on the wing by Martin Jones he played Matthew Symmons through on goal who calmly converted the chance to make it 3-0 Stanleytown. The game then seemed over until a mistake in the defence give Nelson a goal and a way back into the game, 3-1 Stanleytown. However with the pace of Matthew Symmons upfront Stanleytown were always a threat and this was proved when Matthew converted a brilliant solo effort, running the ball half the pitch and passed 2 defenders before knocking the ball calmly passed the keeper to make it 4-1 Stanleytown. With the game now seemingly over Nelson applied lots of pressure and finally got their rewards in the last few minutes when a deflected shot found its way passed Tom Lewis between the sticks, final score Nelson 2 - 4 Stanleytown.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 7
Positive - Went from zero to hero, giving away a penalty before saving it. Made a few good saves.
Negative - I nearly started crying when Tom shouted at me in the second half. Also my heart was in my mouth when a cross slipped through Toms hands before luckily creeping over the bar.

Adam Green - 7
Positive - Played some nice balls down the line, and made some good tackles. Linked up well with Squirt
Negative - Getting a bit lippy around the place. Them Xmas boots were glowing white, shocking!

John Williams - 7
Positive - Has great feet, deceives players easily. Always highly consistent.
Negative - Tired in the second half, the boys not getting any younger and lack of sleep with the little un isn’t helping

Barrie Jones - 7
Positive - Didn’t wander as much this week. Loves the big tackles and has a great engine. Good partnership with Carlos
Negative - Thought the Nelson player was his own for the first nelson goal, to be fair though he does have bad eyesight

Carl Semmens - 7
Positive - Nicky Rees saying he played well
Negative - Moment of madness in the second half nearly cost a goal.

Alex Thomas - 7
Positive - Easily one of his best games for the club. Wound his opponent up and skinned him several times
Negative - Maybe Goodjob should teach him how to work back with his opponent

Martin Jones - 8 STAR MAN
Positive - Getting better with every game. The guy was awesome today. Worked back tirelessly, got a goal, walked through players, provided a goal. Excellent display.
Negative - Quiet off the field

Lee Bolderson - 7
Positive - Another fine display from the highly missed Lee Bolderson. Great work rate, put in some big tackles in the middle. Composed late on when we needed to keep possession.
Negative - Needs to remain injury free, big player for the club.

Joe Eason - 7
Positive - Super Joe gave another great performance in the middle, played their best player off the park. Played some quality balls through to the strikers.
Negative - Got a bit too wrapped up in a 1v1 with his opponent in the first half.

Tyrone Jones - 7
Positive - Dropped out wide for ball, skinned defenders all afternoon. Always making a pain of himself around the goal area
Negative - Just not happening for him in front of goal at the moment, his time will come.

Craig Williams - 7
Positive - Calmly slotted his penalty away. Always showing for the ball and providing an option. Worked hard when we didn’t have the ball. Xmas boots on show.
Negative - Needs to stay on the wagon with the 6 nations around the corner!

Matthew Symmons - 8
Positive - First game back from injury, played half hour and got 2 goals. Was awesome. Close for star man. Kissing the Stanleytown badge after the first!
Negative - Should have got a hat trick.

Martyn Evans - 7
Positive - Good to have Mervin back in the middle, broke up the play well, made some good challenges
Negative - Says his knees are gone and his fitness is non existent

Gary Thomas - 6
Positive - Came on late on to tighten up the defence
Negative - Loves to abuse the referee

Leon Semmens - Unused sub
Fell flat on his back in the changing rooms and made a poor attempt at the 6 halves

Good result today, plenty of positives. Work rate was good, return of Symmo and Mervin, some excellent performances. A few big games coming up, lets get good numbers there every week and put a good run together and push ourselves up the table!

Stanleytown 4 - 2 Brackla
Craig Williams
John Williams
Joe Eason 2
.
..
Today Stanleytown welcomed Brackla to Stanleytown recreational field. With the field looking pretty ripped up, it was always going to be a touch game. With the manager unable to make this weeks game, it was left to Nicky Rees to call the shots from the side. With a few changes from last weeks winning game there was mixed emotions in the Stanleytown dressing room. However this wasn’t reflected by the performance on the field. With Stanleytown playing some good football, they were soon rewarded when Craig Williams found himself 1 on 1 with the goalie and was able to slide the ball past him and in to the net to make it 1-0 Stanleytown. However the lead was short lived as Stanleytown conceded a very dubious penalty, when Jarrad Davies was penalised for a push from a corner. Regardless of it being a correct decision or not, Brackla converted the penalty and levelled the score at 1-1. Nicky Rees seen this as an opportunity to change things and moved to a 352 formation. This change eventually paid off when John Williams made a rare burst forward and found himself 1 on 1 with the goalie and again slid the ball past him to restore Stanleytowns advantage, 2-1 Stanleytown. This is how the score stayed until half time. After the break Stanleytown seemed the team on top and got a few chances in front of goal and it was Stanleytown who got the next goal when the ball was played through to Joe Eason he breezed past the defender and nestled the ball in the bottom corner to give Stanleytown a 2 goal advantage and make it 3-1 Stanleytown. However Stanleytown didn’t rest on this advantage and got the next goal when Alex Thomas took on a defender down the right touchline and played a great ball across the box which found Joe Eason coming in at the back post to knock the ball past the helpless keeper, 4-1 Stanleytown. With the game seemingly over Stanleytown seemed happy to defend their way to victory. However when Huw Evans was adjudged to have brought down the Brackla striker inside the area and another dubious penalty was given, Brackla converted and got their noses back in the game to make it 4-2 Stanleytown. The remainder of the game saw Stanleytown defend their lines and see out the game. Final whistle Stanleytown 4-2 Brackla
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton - 7
Positive - Has little to do this week, but still made some great saves. Releases the ball excellent. Simply has to play when available.
Negative - Often found having a go at the ref, which could cost him and his team. Needs to leave that to the captain

Huw Evans - 7
Positive - Back from suspension, fortunate to be straight back in, but showed why he was. Some good tackles, versatile.
Negative - Another who is often has a go at the ref, needs to learn to bite his tongue. But was unlucky with the penalty

John Williams - 8 STAR MAN
Positive - Rolled back the years as wing back. Great feet in attack, tracked back and made some quality tackles. Even got a goal. Trademark little john
Negative - Takes all the hot water in the shower

Barrie Jones - 7
Positive - Again solid at centre half, puts his head on the line every week (even tho he can just kick it with his foot) keeps going till the final whistle. Made some important interceptions
Negative - Probably the most attacking holding midfielder ive ever seen. Also had stern words with Huw which nearly kicked off!

Carl Semmens - 7
Positive - Likes playing alongside Barrie, not the biggest central defenders in the league but not beaten often. Seem to understand each others game
Negative - Doesn’t remember the previous club rep having so many roles at the club, putting nets up, selling cards. Thinks he’s been tucked up

Martin Jones - 7
Positive - Was doing well down the wing before being forced off with a muscle injury. Could be a vital player for the club.
Negative - Hope the hamstring heals in time for next week, would be a great loss.

Jarrad Davies - 7
Positive - Another who showed why he was put straight back in the starting 11. Doesn’t stop working. Tracks back to tackle and gets up to support attack
Negative - Unlucky with the penalty. Also not as deadly as he used to be in front of goal. Had to take his kitchen ceiling down before the game and go home to put it back up straight after!

Lee Bolderson - 7
Positive - You get the same from Lee every week. Makes some big challenges in the middle. Composed on the ball and spreads play great.
Negative - With all the exams around the corner will we see Lee with his boots?

Joe Eason - 8
Positive - Fine display from super joe! Narrowly missing out on star man. 2 goals, bags of skill and trickery. Wins lots of possession and is great on the counter attack
Negative - Seems to like a swig on a friday

Tyrone Jones - 8
Positive - Excellent game from Tyrone. Showed great skill with some lovely runs and some great turns. Starting to look like the old Tyrone
Negative - Unlucky with the effort when he tried to chip the keeper. His goals will come if he keeps up this form.

Craig Williams - 7
Positive - Took his goal well. Stepped up to the captain role, taking warm up and motivating his team. Great work rate
Negative - Hit 1 or 2 wild shots, think 1 smashed a window in lidls.

Matthew Symmons - 7
Positive - Great to have back, draws in tackles. Walks passed players like they aint there. Unlucky with his solo effort
Negative - Took a knock after 10 minutes on that leg. Hope he’s ok for next week.

Gareth Smith - 7
Positive - A welcomed return for boris, straight into the thick of it at centre half, looked like he’d never been away
Negative - Needs to work off that xmas turkey and get his fitness back up

Alex Thomas - 7
Positive - In great form, unlucky not to start. Excellent ball across goal for the 4th goal. Showed good skill and pace on the wing.
Negative - Another who’s partial to a friday night pint or 10

Adam Green - Unused sub
Another who was unlucky not to start. Also likes a beverage on a friday

Leon Semmens - Unused sub
There every week, will get a run out soon.

AFC Caerphilly 5 - 4 Stanleytown
Martin Jones
Alex Thomas
Craig Williams 2
.
Today Stanleytown travelled to Caerphilly looking to build on a great start to the New Year. There was a selection decision for the boss but stuck with last weeks winning 11 with the exclusion of the missing Tyrone Jones replaced by Alex Thomas. The game started badly with Caerphilly breaking the Stanleytown offside line early on and placing the ball in the back of the net, 1-0 Caerphilly. However unlike past seasons, Stanleytown showed spirit and fought their way back in to the game, and when Martin Jones took a ball down on his chest just outside the box, he turned the defender inside out before putting the ball past the helpless Caerphilly keeper to level the game at 1-1. And it was Stanleytown who continued to show greater hunger for the game and soon got their rewards, when Alex Thomas showed some fine footwork out on the corner of the box and soon found himself in front of goal with only 1 outcome, Stanleytown took a 2-1 lead. However this lead was short-lived when a lingering cross caused a mix up between defence and goalkeeper and the ball curled its way into the back post and found its way in the net to level things up again. But again Stanleytown showed resilience and when the ball was played through to Craig Williams he slipped the ball past the keeper to make it 3-2 Stanleytown. That’s how the firsts half ended. With the second half getting underway Stanleytown came under a bit of pressure and Caerphilly finally got their breakthrough when a through ball was played from midfield and found the striker who placed the ball past the keeper to again level the game. However things were about to get better for Stanleytown as Alex Thomas found himself through on goal only to be brought down just outside the box by the last man, with the ref sending the Caerphilly defender for an early bath Stanleytown now had the advantage. However this was not echoed by the performance with players walking round they failed to make this advantage count, and it was Caerphilly who got the next goal, when the Caerphilly midfielder found himself free in the box he was met by the legs of Daniel Hurton, who was also sent for an early bath, penalty Caerphilly. Tom Lewis replaced Jarrad Davies between the sticks but was helpless to save the penalty. This seemingly killed of Stanleytowns hopes of any points and another Caerphilly goal soon followed to make it 5-3 Caerphilly. However the game was not over when Stanleytown clawed a goal back through captain Craig Williams, but it was too late in the game. Final score Caerphilly 5 - 4 Stanleytown.

Despite the disappointing result and the failure to make the extra man advantage count, there were some positives to take from todays game. In the first half we showed the fighting spirit that has been missing in recent months and seasons, there were one or two good individual performances and despite the result, morale seems to be up at the club. Whitchurch away is a big game next week, lets build on the results of the last few weeks and get another win under our belt and guide Stanleytown to safety and further up the table!
.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Daniel Hurton - 5
Positive – Still the best keeper at the club and did publicly apologise for his spat with the players rep.
Negative – Friday night drinking came back to bite him on the arse. Conceded a penalty, sent off, had an argument, will be banned for a few games . . . I’ll stop there

Huw Evans - 6
Positive – Made a few good tackles and won a few headers but not up to his usual standards.
Negative – Maybe the overgrown hair and beard slowed him down? Perhaps his mind was on Newcastle??

John Williams - 7
Positive – Didn’t get forward as much as last week but cant remember anyone going past him either. Solid if not spectacular
Negative – Ears slow him down on windy days

Barrie Jones - 6
Positive – Wins most things in the air and not afraid to go into a tackle. His positional sense wasn’t there this week though
Negative – Probably the most attack minded centre half in the league. Does he have too much energy to hold position? New boots every week and they’re getting worse (lime green). Also told us in changing room he uses moisturiser

Carl Semmens - 6
Positive – Done very well this season at Centre Half, I’m sure Saturday was a one off and would be unlucky to lose his place next week. Wins most of his headers and never shirks a tackle
Negative – Asked to come off and his words were taken out of context. #hecanpasstheballtwoyards

Alex Thomas - 7
Positive – Calm head and took his goal well. Has bags of potential and lightening pace. Worked hard in attack and defence, could cement the right midfield spot with more displays like that.
Negative – Dodgy calves at the age of 16 not a good sign. Upset Nicky when he tried wrestling their defender instead of going around him

Jarrad Davies - 7
Positive – Playing out of position on the left but doing a good job for the team. Not his usual dynamic self but the early booking he picked up took his game away from him
Negative – Booked early on which seemed to be playing on his mind for the rest of the game. Normally tackles like a demon! Work rate wasn’t quite up to his standard either

Lee Bolderson - 7
Positive – Passing, tackling and work rate are always top notch. One of the first names on the team sheet
Negative – Didn’t control the game as he normally does and upset the bitter boys for not putting his foot through the ball

Joe Eason - 6
Positive – Skills and range of passing are normally second to none. The talent this boy has is scary
Negative – Didn’t quite happen for him this week, could have made it easier for himself by giving a simple ball

Martin Jones - 8 STAR MAN
Positive - Excellent game from Martin. Showed great skill, strength and movement. They just couldn’t handle him. Scored a cracking goal too
Negative – His Messi run ended with him hitting the bar. Not a bad negative I suppose

Craig Williams - 7
Positive – Led the line well, won headers against a good centre half and scored 2 goals. Clinical
Negative – Why didn’t the boys take his team talk onto the field. Calls for him to be played at Centre Half

Garry Edwards - 5
Positive – Good squad member and decent footballer. Did ok when he went on (until he got booked)
Negative – Booked. Guys a fruitcake, got supporters asking if he’s taking this relegation fight seriously.

Gareth Smith - 5
Positive – Came on for last 15.
Negative – Came on for last 15

Tom Lewis - 7
Positive – Brought on unexpectedly and straight in the firing line of a penalty. He’d have saved it with a decent warm up. Got his finger tips to one of their goals
Negative – Didn’t have time for a tidy warm up before coming on

Adam Green - Unused sub
Unlucky not to get on. Was due to go on before Daniels sending off forced a reshuffle

Leon Semmens - Unused sub
Came out with a pearler on the sideline when he realised Goff hadn’t given him the option of going on as a wingback. Had us all in stitches.

AFC Whitchurch 4 - 1 Stanleytown
Martin Jones
.
.
This week Stanleytown travelled down the A470 to Whitchurch looking to improve on last weeks loss. With a good starting 11 they had every chance of doing so. However this wasn’t the case when the game got underway. Stanleytown soon found themselves 1-0 down after some sloppy play let the Whitchurch striker wriggle free in front of goal and slide the ball past Tom Lewis in goals. This seemed to hit Stanleytown for 6, until they luckily equalised when a spilled cross by Tyrone Jones fell to Martin Jones who tucked the ball away. This should have given Stanleytown the kick they needed to get in to the game, but wasn’t the case, and soon found themselves down 2-1 and 3-1 down after more poor football. With the half time team talk came a switch of formation back to 442, and this seemed to be working with Stanleytown looking the better team after the break but with nothing to show for their efforts. And it was Whitchurch who got the next goal when a free kick was crossed deep into the box and found its way over the keeper and dropped inside the back post to make it 4-1 to Whitchurch. This killed off any hope Stanleytown had of getting back in to the game, and neither team created any real chances for the remainder of the game. Final score Whitchurch 4-1 Stanleytown.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 4
Not good enough

John Williams - 4
Not good enough

Adam Green - 4
Not good enough

Carl Semmens - 4
Not good enough

Huw Evans - 4
Not good enough

Barrie Jones - 4
Not good enough

Lee Bolderson - 4
Not good enough

Joe Eason - 4
Not good enough

Alex Thomas - 4
Not good enough

Martin Jones - 4
Not good enough

Craig Williams - 4
Not good enough

Tyrone Jones - 4
Not good enough

Garry Edwards - 4
Not good enough

Leon Semmens - 8
Like an overweight Roberto Carlos down the left

Gary Thomas - Unused sub

Marc Daniel - Unused sub

Terrible effort all round this week. Players walking round the field with their heads in the clouds. We aint gonna get given games without putting in any effort and if performances don’t improve from this game we will be playing football in Rhondda league next season!

Stanleytown 1 - 4 Fairwater
Martin Jones
..
Stanleytown welcomed Fairwater this week after a long lay off due to weather. With new management, Stanleytown were looking to get off to a good start, however things didn’t get off to the best start when rain put the match into doubt before finally being confirmed on at a late 20 past 1. However with all players able to make it they were still able to field a strong team. The first half started with Fairwater on top and applying pressure on Stanleytown with wave after wave of attack. This pressure eventually paid off when a free kick found its way over the Stanleytown defensive line and to the fairwater player at the back post, who slotted the ball past the Stanleytown keeper to make it 1-0 Fairwater. Stanleytown looked disinterested in the game and soon found themselves 2-0 down after a counter attack. However they pulled one back before the half time whistle when some fine football between the several players, Martin Jones brought the ball down superbly in the box, turned the defender and smashed the ball in to the roof of the net, beyond the helpless keeper, half time 2-1 Fairwater. The second half started a lot better, with the team passing the ball a lot better and attacking more. However they failed to capitalize on their chances and it was Fairwater who got the next goal when the winger cut inside the defence and slotted the ball past the Stanleytown keeper to make it 3-1 Fairwater. This seemed to kill off the game, and with Stanleytown throwing everything in attack they were always liable to concede another goal. And this is what happened when a simple ball over the top found the Fairwater striker 1 on 1 with the keeper and an easy chip over the top finished the game off to make it 4-1 fairwater. Despite more pressing Stanleytown failed to get any more goals and the game ended Stanleytown 1-4 Fairwater.
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
Gavin Thompson - 7 STAR MAN
First game for Gavin at Stanleytown. Made some excellent saves and kept his side in the game in the first half. Looks like an excellent signing

Matthew Smith - 6
Return to the club for chuckles. Said he had a shiver down his spine walking in the changing room. Decent job at centre half and tried getting forward at right back to pull his side back in to the game. Was found causing trouble in ponty in the night.
**NOTE** leave the boxing gloves in the house in future chuckles.

Carl Semmens - 5
Can only apologise for the third goal. Not happy with his performance. Had his favourite shirt ripped by team mates on a night out!

Gareth Smith - 5
First start for a while for boris, first half was solid. Second half he started to struggle a little, not sure if it was fitness or a niggling injury, but great to have back on the field.

Tyrone Jones - 5
Struggled at wing back getting up and down the field. When put on the wing with 442 he came into the game, hung out wide and played some great balls in to the box.

John Williams - 5
Another who struggled at wing back but grew in to the game at 442. Calm on the ball and great feet in opposition half

Barrie Jones - 5
Put himself about in middle of field, struggled with a soft referee. Then moved out wide, then moved to centre half, never sherks a tackle and wins plenty of headers.

Lee Bolderson - 6
Big player for stanleytown, club needs him playing well in the run in to the end of season. Good performance from Lee, always provides on option for the player with the ball. Did hit a few long balls late on instead of keeping possession.

Joe Eason - 5
Not Joes best game. Quiet first half, but came to life in the second half. Another player who needs to be playing well for Stanleytown in the run in.

Martin Jones - 5
Excellent control and finish for his goal in the first half, dropped deep in order to get on the ball. Quiet in patches.

Craig Williams - 5
Another who had to drop deep in order to win the ball. Wins almost anything thrown up to him.

Matthew Symmons - 5
Came on the wing in the second half, linked up well with Matthew Smith, caused the defence a few problems

Jarrad Davies - 5
Came on the left wing, was his usual robust self putting tackles in and showing bags of energy.

Huw Evans - 2
Thats a point for every minute he stayed on the pitch, forced off with what looks like a serious knee injury.

Unused subs - Leon Semmens, Dale Hughes, Adam Green, Alex Thomas, Garry Edwards.

Despite the result, there are a few positives to take from this weeks performance. The signings of Matthew Smith and Gavin Thomson. The performance in the second half showed fighting spirit. We passed the ball out of defence and played the ball about well, we just need to have the confidence to do that from the first whistle. Long way to go till end of season, but with hard work, commitment and confidence im sure results will start going our way!

Cadoxton 2 - 1 Stanleytown
Craig Williams
.
.
Stanleytown travelled to Barry this week to play Cadoxton and things didn’t get off to a good start with the team travelling with a bare 11 players. However the game got underway and Stanleytown showed great character and more than matched their opponents and it parts were the better team. With a big field both teams passed the ball around well and it was Stanleytown who got the breakthrough off a counter attack when Craig Williams was played through 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper, there was only going to be one outcome, 1-0 Stanleytown. This is how the score stayed until half time, and with Stanleytown ahead, spirits were high. The second half started with Stanleytown under pressure and unable to really get any kind of serious possession, and after some valiant defending, the Cadoxton striker was able to slip out of a few tackles along the 18 yard line and fire the ball past the helpless Tom Lewis, 1-1. This woke Stanleytown up a little and found themselves with more possession and a few half chances. However after a very soft free kick in the Stanleytown half, the ball was only half cleared and fell to a Cadoxton player on the penalty spot, who slid the ball from short range , through the wall of defenders and the keeper, to make it 2-1 Cadoxton. Despite this Stanleytown continued to try and play football, and never gave up on the game, but unfortunately it just wasn’t their day and the final score was Cadoxton 2-1 Stanleytown.
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 7
Always there for the club, cant fault him. Likes to take his time with the ball in his hands and got tackles by his own defender, apart from that he was solid.

Garry Edwards - 7
Easily his best game for the club. Put in some excellent hard tackles and helped his winger. Unlucky to go off injured. Should start next week if fit!

Carl Semmens - 6
Head was on another planet before kick off...and after kick off really. Played some nice balls down the line but not much else.

Matthew Smith - 7
Another whose head was in the shed, playing some dodgy loose passes. However did make some great tackles and never loses a header.

Barrie Jones - 7
Good game from Barrie, was unlucky with a couple of harsh decisions from the ref, Barrie complained 'im too strong for him'.....Im not gonna tell him any different!

Alex Thomas - 7
Missed a great chance early in the second half to put Stanleytown 2-0 up. But worked well up and down the wing making some important tackles. Did get bullied in a few challenges tho, but most important thing, his calfs lasted the full 90!

Lee Bolderson - 7
Played out of position out on the left, but still the same old Lee/Scab. 100%, worked back with his man, got up to support the attack and create some chances.

Joe Eason - 7 STAR MAN
Absolutely run the midfield, opposition couldnt handle him so resorted to kicking him. Showed bags of skill and commitment in the tackles.

Jarrad Moorse Davies - 7
Another who was awesome in the middle of the park, put his everything in to every tackle and cant remember him loosing many. Also showing more energy than recent performances, like the Jarrad of yesteryear (maybe benefiting from some out of football training)

Craig Williams - 7
Took his goal excellent, another who worked his socks off working back from upfront, running down the full backs. Signed to Stanleytown for life according to Mrs Frog.

Tyrone Jones - 7
Came looking for the ball in his favoured position upfront, was showing out wide, dropping deep, trying to create. More of the same next week please!

Gary Thomas - 6
Same old Gary, came on late on, abused the ref, got booked. Cant fault him tho, there with his kit whenever the club is short!

Marc Daniels - unused sub
Another who has always got their kit for the club, both subs deserve a bit of recognition for their commitment

Despite the result this week, the boys showed grit and determination. To go away to a team like Cadoxton with a bare 11 is by no means ideal, but to the boys who did make it they can be proud of their efforts. They played some good football, passing the ball around well and never gave up when going behind. This sort of performance now needs to be taken in to the next game, and with a lot of home games to play lets hope we can notch up a few points and get the club up the table.
.
Stanleytown 1 - 1 AFC Whitchurch
Craig Williams
.
..
This week Stanleytown welcomed fellow league strugglers Whitchurch to Stanleytown recreational, in what was a 6 pointer. The game got underway with both teams having their share of chances but neither finding the net. However things turned Stanleytowns way when Craig Williams found himself 1 on 1 with the keeper, the keeper came crashing into Craig and found himself having an early shower. With Stanleytown now with a man advantage they began to take advantage and press forward, creating more chances. However teams went in at half time all square at 0-0. The second half started and it wasn’t long before Stanleytown found themselves 1-0 up through a great finish from Craig Williams. This should have been the wake up Stanleytown needed to finish the game off, however it was the opposite and in fact Whitchurch took control of the game, with Stanleytown seemingly happy to sit back and defend. After some tired looking performances from Stanleytown, Whitchurch finally got their reward, when the ball was played over the top of the Stanleytown defence, in the eyes of the ref the Whitchurch was onside when the ball was played, the Whitchurch striker lobbed the ball over the helpless Tom Lewis to even things up. Whitchurch continued to dominate the remainder of the game but failed find the net again but left the field with a well deserved point, Final score Stanleytown 1-1 Whitchurch
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 6
made some good saves

Alex Thomas - 5
Fizzled out

Matthew Smith - 6 STAR MAN
Solid

Gareth Smith - 5
improving

Carl Semmens- 5
Shocking

Barrie Jones - 5
Don’t think he’s a winger

Jarrad Davies - 5
Wild

Joe Eason - 5
Quiet

Lee Bolderson - 5
Struggled

Martin Jones - 5
Good finish

Craig Williams - 5
Battered

Liam Hemming - 5
Welcomed back

Ashley Carbis - 6
Impressive

Dale Hughes - 5
Happy to be back

Stanleytown 4 - 2 St Albans
Martin Jones
Joe Eason
Craig Williams 2
.
..
This week Stanleytown welcomed St Albans to Stanleytown recreational. The game started even with both sides creating half decent chances but it was Stanleytown who opened up the scoring when a fine piece of skill from Joe Eason down the left flank, he went passed 2 defenders, took the ball to the by-line before squaring the ball to Craig Williams whose shot was helped in by Martin Jones to make it 1-0 Stanleytown. Despite the lead, things were still pretty even. St Albans efforts were rewarded when a free kick was played to the back post, the opponent was failed to be picked up and nodded the ball in the back of the net to make it 1-1. This is how things ended at half time. The second half started much like the first, with both sides trying to create chances. But it was St Albans who took the lead next, in a goal much like their first, a free kick was failed to be cleared and a St Albans head nodded the ball past the Stanleytown keeper to make it 2-1 St Albans. However Stanleytown kept pushing to find an equaliser and it eventually came when the ball was played through, Joe Eason found himself 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper and there was only going to be one outcome, 2-2. Stanleytown were now on top and looking for the winner, and this wasn’t long coming, when the ball was played through to Tyrone Jones who unselfishly squared the ball to the path of the oncoming Craig Williams, who fired the ball in from close range to give Stanleytown the lead again, 3-2 Stanleytown. However Stanleytown didn’t rest on this and looked to kill the game off, and when a ball was played over the top by Jarrad Davies, Craig Williams managed to get on the end of it and nod the ball past the St Albans keeper to finally settle the game and win it for Stanleytown. Final score, Stanleytown 4-2 St Albans.
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 7
Made some good saves, got the ball out to the full backs quickly, and kicking is improving. Not really sure where he was going for the second goal tho.

Alex Thomas - 7
Getting in to the right back role, did a good job defending, just need to work on him going forward now.

John Williams - 7
A welcomed return for little john, Solid at left back, stopping a tricky winger, no so much of the trademark little john dashes forward this week tho

Matthew Smith - 7
Another solid performance at the back, won countless headers and tackles. Played through the pain barrier. Threatened magua!

Carl Semmens - 7
Back at centre half with his butty, played the ball well in the back. Hope the hamstring holds up for tuesday.

Jarrad Davies - 7
Good to see the old jarrad back, lots of energy, tackles and dodgy passes. Some would say his ball over the top for the last goal was more hit and hope, but who am i to judge?

Joe Eason - 8 STAR MAN
Not sure if he was happy starting on the left, but will be playing a few more games there on this performance. Scored a goal, set up a goal, created chances. Awesome.

Barrie Jones - 7
Back in his favourite position in the centre. Played well, got on the ball. Likes to do the dog work (i think). Did admit to losing his marker for the first goal

Lee Bolderson - 7
We have missed lee in the middle of the park. Provides some much needed energy. Always great on the ball. Always available for the ball!

Martin Jones - 8
Narrowly missing out on star man. Another who was awesome this week. Has skill by the bucket load. Walks through defenders with ease. Put in a great shift (even if he did nick frogs goal)

Craig Williams - 7
Another 2 goals to add to his tally. There was no way he was letting eason take that 4th goal, think he threw joe out of the way to get to the ball first. Another good shift from frog, worked back, put himself about and helped out defensively.

Tyrone Jones - 7
Came on in the second half and was like a breath of fresh air. Set up a goal, had a good chance himself and created some good chances!

Liam Hemming - 7
This guy plays about 8 games of football and rugby in a weekend. Good to have him back. Came on for some tired legs. Played well, got forward and didn’t neglect his defensive duties

Dale Hughes - Unused sub

Garry Edwards - Unused sub

Ashley Carbis – Unused sub

Stanleytown 0 - 6 Ynyshir

..
MATCH REPORT TO FOLLOW
.
.
.
.

PLAYER RATINGS

Stanleytown 2 - 4 Fochriw
Craig Williams 2
.
..
This week Stanleytown welcomed table toppers Fochriw to Stanleytown recreational. After Tuesdays disappointment Stanleytown were looking to get back on track. However in true Stanleytown style they made things a little harder for themselves, conceding another early goal after some poor defending on the edge of the area, the shot was struck and left Tom Lewis with no chance in goal. Things were looking to follow on from Tuesdays game after Fochriw quickly scored a second, from a seemingly offside position, but not in the eyes of the referee and the goal stood to give Fochriw a 2-0 lead. However unlike the game against Ynyshir, Stanleytown refused to roll over and lay down and fought back and got their rewards when a ball was played over the top to Craig Williams, who fired the ball beautifully from a tight angle to make it 2-1 Fochriw. This is how the score stayed going in at half time. With the Stanleytown players heads now up, they came out in the second half and were easily the team on top, playing the better football. However its goals that win games, and it was Fochriw who got the next, when the ball was crossed deep to the back post, the Fochriw player nodded the ball in to the back of the net. Without any time to reflect on the goal, Stanleytown were soon picking the ball out of the net again when the ball was played through to the striker who slotted the ball past the keeper to make it 4-1 Fochriw. However Stanleytown showed character and continued to plug away and their efforts didn’t go unrewarded when after some fine play out wide the ball was squared to Craig Williams, who fired home from close range. Despite continuing to play some good football, there were no more goals for Stanleytown and despite a good effort the final score was Stanleytown 2-4 Fochriw
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 5
Made some good saves in the first half. Was caught in 2 minds whether to come out or stay on his line on a few occasions. And needs to work on crosses.

Alex Thomas - 6
Another good game at right back, got stuck in and stuck to his task. Does need to be reminded to go forward on occasions.

John Williams - 6
Quiet game by johns standards. Was up against a tricky winger (who for a change, was smaller than john) but done what was asked of him and even gave us the odd trademark john burst forward.

Matthew Smith - 3
Came on, seen he was up against a tricky striker and went off injured....some would say coward?

Carl Semmens - 6
Done ok

Lee Bolderson - 6
Always plays well wherever he’s put, full of tricks on the wing, gave the defender hell down the wing. Still think we miss his composure in the middle tho

Joe Eason - 6
Poor guy had lumps kicked out of him, with no protection from the referee. Think he enjoys playing out wide, there’s not many better at taking on players down the wing and cutting back inside.

Jarrad Davies - 6
Another robust energetic performance from jarrad, puts himself around bravely every week. Did make 1 or 2 clumsy challenges but its all part of the package with jarrad.

Barrie Jones - 6
Started in the middle but was pushed back to centre half, much to his annoyance. But played well there, was solid. Was a little upset with a header he missed which he normally scores!

Tyrone Jones - 6
One of Tyrones best performances. Was full of tricks and turns. Put in some good crosses and ran his socks off!

Craig Williams - 6 STAR MAN
Head split open tuesday, saturday afternoon he’s back out there with a bit of pva glue holding it all together, really is the new mr stanleytown. First goal was superb, another who put in a good shift! Gets star man just for his goal!

Dale Hughes - 6
For all the stick hollywood gets, he played well this week, won almost every header, and roughed up the midfield a bit. Does have a touch like an elephant tho!

Marc Daniels - 5
Came on late in the middle for the injured Jarrad davies, not the fastest these days but still plays the game well in that holding role!

Gary Thomas - 5
Fittest 50 year old ive seen, still bringing his boots after half a century of years on the planet. Only person to get booked without committing a foul.

Stanleytown 4 - 1 St Josephs
Martin Jones 4
.
..
This week Stanleytown welcomed promotion chasing St Josephs, with the last game between the two sides ending 2-0 this promised to be a close game. With a few players returning from a long absence Stanleytown were able to name a strong 15. The game started pretty evenly with neither side producing any real chances. But it was Stanleytown who got the breakthrough when a long free kick was played in to the edge of the area, the ball somehow fell to Martin Jones, who somehow beat the offside and very casually knocked the ball in the back of the net to make it 1-0 Stanleytown. At this point Stanleytown were looking the better team with more chances in front of goal but still just the 1 goal lead. The half time whistle went and Stanleytown went in full of confidence from their first half performance. The second half kicked off much as the first ended, with Stanleytown on top. And it was Stanleytown who got the next goal, again with another neat finish from Martin Jones. However St Josephs weren't done yet and managed to get a goal back when the midfielder beat the offside trap to fire past Tom Lewis in goal to make it 2-1 Stanleytown. With a game now on, this promised to leave the crowd with a great end to a game. However this wasn’t to be, after 2 more goals in quick succession, both from Martin Jones killed off any chance of a St Josephs come back and bagged the 3 points for Stanleytown. Final score Stanleytown 4-1 St Josephs
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 7
Made some good saves, especially the one in the first half, and in the second half was quick to come off his line. Needs to work on his corners/crosses tho.

Carl Semmens - 7
Did ok

John Williams - 7
Left back/right midfield, always puts in a performance wherever he plays. Sadly handed over the best dancer crown to Garry Edwards down cardiff in the night.

Gareth Smith - 7
Born again footballer gareth, playing like a 20 year old again. Best hes played for a long time, heading, tackling, running was all there. Fitness regime is defiantly working.

Ashley Carbis - 7
Along with his butty Martin, looks a great addition to the squad. One of them players who just seems to be in the right place at the right time, excellent game. Did bump the boys night out to go ponty tho

Tyrone Jones - 6
Played 5 minutes, went off with an injured foot. Was well up for the game too

Joe Eason - 8
Set up at least 2 of the goals, another fine display from joe, dazzling footwork, not sure if he prefers striker or winger tho? Was also on fire with the women down the capital!

Barrie Jones - 7
Back in his favourite centre midfield. excellent game in there, winning headers and getting hold of the ball. Second missed header in 2 weeks tho which he normally takes with ease! Those blisters have a lot to answer for

Lee Bolderson - 7
Another playing back in his favoured centre mid, It showed why we need him in there. Gets the ball and doesn’t panic, often plays the easy option, keeping possession.

Craig Williams - 7
Proud of his troops. Like a human battering ram. Nearly replicated his super goal from last week, only the ball his a car over tylorstown this time. Always a threat up front, and run his socks off closing down the full backs.

Martin Jones - 8 Star Man
4 goals in a game, chased back countless times to win back the ball, played some great football with Frog and Eason. Always a cert to score when put in front of goal

Alex Thomas - 7
Came on early on for Tyrone. Impresses every time he plays at full back, won tackles and headers. Defiantly a confidence player, and has daddy supporting him in the corner!

Ashley Davies - 7
Back from the dead, came on and put out wide. Defended well and got forward to help in attack

Dale Hughes - Unused sub

Garry Edwards - Unused sub

Leon Semmens - Unused sub
.

Stanleytown 2 - 2 Llwynypia
Martin Jones 2
.
..
This week Stanleytown welcomed local side Llwynypia. With only 3 games left Stanleytown needed a point to ensure safety from relegation. The game kicked off and both teams were playing some good football and creating decent chances but neither side were able to break the deadlock. But after approximately 20 minutes Stanleytown were rewarded for their hard work when a long free kick was played over the top to Martin Jones who took the ball down brilliantly and fired the ball home to make it 1-0 Stanleytown. Both sides continued to battle it out on the field but it was Llwynypia who struck next when a free kick on the edge of the box found its way past the wall and into the top corner to level things up at 1-1. The first half ended 1-1, with both sides having plenty of positives to take from the first half performance. The second half started as the first ended with both teams getting in some great chances but unable to convert to opportunity into a goal, the best chance going to John Williams who found himself free in the box but putting the ball just wide of the post. It was the away team who got the next goal when a long range shot was fumbled by the keeper, the Llwynypia striker was first to react and put the ball past the helpless keeper to give Llwynypia a 2-1 lead with the clock ticking away. Things were looking bad for Stanleytown but they kept plugging away and their resilience paid off in the final 10 minutes when Matthew Symmons went on a run past 2 players before playing the ball through to Martin Jones who put the ball in the top right hand corner to level things up at 2-2. The last few minutes were played with both teams seemingly happy to settle for a draw with no real chances. Final score Stanleytown 2-2 Llwynypia.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 6
Got a bit of stick for the 2 goals. Not a fan of free kicks, But puts the gloves on every game and plays in one of the hardest positions regardless! He is getting better (i think)

Carl Semmens - 7
Done ok

Gareth Smith - 8 Star man
Defiantly back to the old gaffa. Best game hes had in a long time. Was solid, winning headers, throwing himself in to tackles, using his strength. Great to have him back.

Ashley Carbis - 8
Another great game from Carbis. Think his best position is sweeper. Does it well, always in the right place at the right time.

Alex Thomas - 7
Threw his dummy right out of the pram half time, Nicky was 'picking on him' Struggled as wing back but when moved to 442 he was solid at left back.

John Williams - 7
Another who found it difficult in the dreaded wing back slot, but grew into the game at 442. Missed a great chance in the second half. Put in a good shift. All the boys were wondering how Lee went to a wedding without him?

Matthew Smith - 7
Firstly, some of his dives were shocking! Played holding midfield and was great, winning tackles and breaking up play. Possibly star man but couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Barrie Jones - 7
Covered every blade of grass on the field. Won countless headers and tackles. Showed why hes best in the middle of the park. Another possible star man.

Joe Eason - 7
Opponents struggled all game with his skill, resorted to kicking him. Seems to enjoy the space out wide. So laid back hes almost falling over.

Martin Jones - 7
Another 2 goals, in red hot form at the moment. Put in another shift up top, chasing back. Took the 2 goals brilliantly. How is he so fit for a guy who doesn’t go training? was the question back at the club.

Tyrone Jones - 7
Was looking sharp in the first half, some great touches and turns. Has been suffering with a foot injury for a few weeks. Best player on the park when he puts his mind to it.

Matthew Symmons - 6
Came on with 20 minutes left. Went on the great run which set up the equaliser. Could do with him for the final 2 games.

Garry Edwards - 6
Thickest boy in the league. Came on for some tired legs. Went on a super run in the end only for the ball to be taken off him by his own player at the end.

Ashley Davies - Unused sub

Leon Semmens - Unused sub

Craig Williams - Unused sub

Fighting performance from everyone today, a great result and a much needed lift to everyone at the club. Hopefully we can take this in to the final 2 games and push even further up the league and finish with a bang!!

Stanleytown 5 - 4 AFC Caerphilly
Martin Jones 3
Tyrone Jones
John Williams
Today Stanleytown welcomed Caerphilly. With Stanleytown now guaranteed league 2 football, there was a much more relaxed atmosphere around the club. With the previous game finishing 5-4 to Caerphilly it was always going to be a close contest. The game kicked off and both sides looked capable of getting goals but it was Stanleytown who seemed to have the upper hand. But this counted for nothing and Caerphilly went 1-0 up when a long range effort flew in the corner past the helpless keeper. However Stanleytown showed the fighting spirit that has won them precious points in recent games and continued to press for a goal. They created several good opportunities, most notably falling to Barrie Jones and Craig Williams, but sadly they were unable to convert any of the chances and the half time whistle went with Caerphilly still with a 1 goal lead. After some encouraging words from the management team Stanleytown headed back out for the second half. They continued from the first half creating chances and it wasn’t long till they got their reward, when Tyrone Jones struck the ball with his back to goal and the Caerphilly keeper was unable to save the ball, to level it up at 1-1. This seemed to boost Stanleytowns spirits and it wasn’t long before they found themselves 3-1 up with some fine football being played and Martin Jones grabbing both goals with some excellent finishing in front of goal. However Caerphilly hit back on the counter attack when a ball was played out from wide to the striker who had dropped to the back post and fired past Tom Lewis to make it 3-2. The game was back on, but only for a short period, as Martin Jones showed great strength in front of goal to grab his hat-trick and restore Stanleytowns 2 goal lead. Things got better when substitute John Williams was in the right place to poke the ball over the line to seemingly kill off the game and make it 5-2 to Stanleytown. However the last few minutes of the game were probably the most exciting for anyone watching when Caerphilly clawed 2 goals back, 1 of which was a penalty, to make it Stanleytown 5-4 Caerphilly. And despite a nervous last few minutes for Stanleytown they were able to hold on and take all 3 points. Final score, Stanleytown 5-4 Caerphilly

PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 7
Give his team mate a dead leg, injured his own. Rumours back at the club were he's dropped for Fred Rees for the final game?

Alex Thomas - 7
May have unearthed a gem playing squirt at full back, great at defending, not so great the other way

Garry Edwards - 7
What a crazy boy. Lucky to stay on in the first half with a 2 footed tackle from about waste height. And when put in centre half he was playing more like a striker. Did win back some credit when he attempted and failed 6 halves, and done a naked run.

Carl Semmens - 7
Sunk to an all time low being substituted for his brother, cheers lads.

Gareth Smith - 7
Solid again from Gaffa, this spell of cardio training for him is working wonders. Did think he was a WWF wrestler in the second half tho conceding a penalty

Joe Eason - 8
Another dazzling display from Joe. Showed bags of skill, played some excellent balls, 1 of which led to a goal and put himself about well. Was on fire on a night out again, new haircut is working wonders for the boy.

Barrie Jones - 8
Put in another great shift in the middle. Got himself into several good scoring opportunities, and covered the pitch, making some great tackles. Manager said he did scream like a girl when making 2 blocks on free kicks.

Lee Bolderson - 8
The third of the 3 excellent displays in the middle of the park. Got the ball down and played it out wide. His defensive game was also excellent today, putting in some solid challenges.

Craig Williams - 7
Captain fantastic back from injury to get his armband back. Unlucky not to get on the score sheet. Chased back till the final whistle and run his legs off. Manager told him play up the middle, but he just loves to be involved.

Tyrone Jones - 8
A different player today, was like the old tyronne. He ran after the ball, showed some excellent touch and pass moves, and got his goal. Even offered to come off for the boys to have a run. More of the same next year!

Martin Jones - 8 STAR MAN
One of 5 players who could have had star man this week. But simply because of the hat trick he gets it. Say the same every week, excellent in front of goal, worked back and always looking for the ball. Rumours of him leaving next season?

Leon Semmens - 7
Came on for his brother, highlight of his career. Dropped in at left back before going upfront. Never gives up, effort and commitment are faultless.

John Williams - 7
Typical shift for John, Comes on, gets the winning goal, goes home, goes to bed. Always puts in a performance wherever he plays.

Nicky Rees - Unused sub

Gary Thomas - Unused sub
Excellent performance all round this week, great result. Lets take this into Tuesdays final game and get a result. One more big effort. Also great to see so many players out after the game, and special thanks to Magua for putting 2 pints behind the bar for the team. And a final thanks to Mal the physio for all his efforts over the past 20 or so years, from all the boys, its much appreciated, thank you!

Garw 0 - 2 Stanleytown
Craig Williams
John Williams
.
.
Tonight Stanleytown travelled down to Garw for the final game of the season. With it being the last game, both teams were looking to sign off in style. With a few players absent, Stanleytown were going to have to play well to get anything out of the game. The game started with Stanleytown looking the better team and playing some great passing football in the opponents half. With Stanleytown on top, it wasn’t long before they got the first goal, when Joe Eason played a great ball through to Craig Williams who wasn’t going to miss when 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper and cleverly put the ball in the back of the net to give Stanleytown a deserved lead. After going 1-0 up Stanleytown continued to look the better team and not so long after scoring their first they extended their lead, when Craig Williams squared the ball to John Williams on the edge of the box, the result was never going to be in doubt, 2-0 Stanleytown. Despite some more promising chances for both teams, the score half time was Garw 0 - 2 Stanleytown. With some positive at half time, Stanleytown headed back out in a vibrant mood. As the second half kicked off it was clear that Garw were going to come at us second half and Stanleytown would have to suck it up and defend, and this is exactly what they did. Some brilliant tackles and heading and lots of organisation showed that it was going to take something special to get through the Stanleytown defence. But while defending, Stanleytown did hit Garw on the counter attack on several occasions, resulting in good scoring opportunities, best of which fell to Tyrone Jones, who was unlucky not to get his goal. With some valiant defending from goalkeeper to striker, Garw were unable to find a way to breakthrough and get their first goal and the final score was Garw 0-2 Stanleytown
.
.
.
PLAYER RATINGS
Tom Lewis - 7
Chants from the crowd calling his a 'satsuma' ignored these chants to put in a performance. Claimed a couple of balls out of the air and made some good saves from awkward bouncing balls.
Kicking still aint great tho!

Alex Thomas - 8 STAR MAN
Up against a tricky winger but didn’t give him a sniff. Made some vital challenges, stopped the crosses from out wide. Confidence has come on leaps and bounds this year.

Adam Green - 7
Don’t know if he was just helping out or is actually back, but played very well at full back. Caught in an awkward situation on times because Garry was too unfit to get back but coped well

Carl Semmens - 7
Done ok

Gareth Smith - 8
Excellent against a physical striker. Used all his old school tricks to get the better of his opponent. May have lost the weight but he still hasn’t lost his game.

Garry Edwards - 7
Played a good first half but sadly that’s all he could manage. Still the dullest boy ive met!

John Williams - 7
Another goal for John. Played well at wing before being moved to full back where he was equally as good. You don’t get past John without a fight. Sadly won’t be joining me in Newcastle!!

Joe Eason - 8
Garw couldn’t handle him from the first whistle. Absolutely run them ragged. Set up the first goal brilliantly. Opposition had to resort to kicking him. Showed good strength, shrugging off 3 or 4 players every time he had the ball.

Matthew Smith - 7
Back in centre midfield. Got the ball down and played it about. Worked back and defended well. On a few occasions tho he did tackle the player but forgot about the ball.

Tyrone Jones - 8
Another top display from the reformed Tyrone. Played some brilliant passing football and got in some good goal scoring positions. Unlucky in front of goal, on another day could have had a hat trick.

Craig Williams - 8
Captain fantastic got another goal and run his socks off working back to help in defence, even dropped into centre mid. Nearly scored goal of the decade from in his own half, only to hit the bar and the keepers head.

Martin Jones - 7
Got lost with Huw on the way and missed kick off. Came on and caused problems down the wing. Played some good stuff with Joe. Unlucky not to get a goal.

Matthew Symmons - 7
Came on down the left wing, which he quickly found out he wasn’t fit enough for due to long injury. Dug deep tho and put in some good tackles tracking back, and was unlucky not to get a goal late on.

Leon Semmens - 7
Was running the show down the wing at the end. Nearly played in Martin at the end. Had a shot from near the halfway which I think hit the guy on the opposite side of the river

Excellent performance to finish of the season, 10 points from 12 against some good teams shows that we are going in the right direction. Our final league position of 9th is a great achievement looking back to where we were a few months back. Im sure if we all stick together and put in a good pre season we can finish even higher up the table next season. Well done lads.

Oh and also, this years presentation promises to be a great night for all except magua......KERCHIIIING!! £300, thank you very much!