Season 2013 / 2014

 

Final League Table

 

Results

 

Player Stats

 

Match Reports

STANLEYTOWN 0 - 4 GARW
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Our first game of the new season saw us host Garw, with a new manager in Phil Eason and a few new signings over the summer spirits in the team were high. There were debuts for Ceri Meecham, Luc Thomas and Robert Evans, there were also returns to the squad after long injuries for Matthew Symmons, Wayne Davies and Huw Evans.

It was Garw who started the strongest and sharpest and had the better of the early chances with a few testing crosses that needed to be turned over by Tom Lewis in goals. We did start to push and after 15 mins Tyrone Jones broke down the left and cut inside and his shot from outside the box was turned away by the Garw keeper. Garw were the team that opened the scoring on 20mins when a deep corner to the back post was headed in from close range. Our heads didn't drop and we continued to play and had another half chance when Lee Bolderson saw his shot go just wide of the post. Garw soon doubled their lead when they broke on the counter attack and their striker just inside the box curled a shot into the top corner. 5 minutes before half time Garw added a third when a corner played to the near post was met by the free head of the Garw player whose power header when straight into the back of the net. Half time 0 - 3

After some strong words at half time we came out in the second half and did look the better side for the first 15 minutes, closing down quicker and not giving Garw as much time on the ball as they did in the first half. However it was Garw who struck to increase their lead when some strong running into the box the ball was fired hard and low past Lewis into the corner. This seemed to deflate us a bit and we fell back into the habits of the first half and it was only for some strong defending from our back four of Karl Williams, Nathan Williams, Craig Williams and Matthew Smith and the tireless running of Bolderson and Barrie Jones in the midfield that manage to restrict the Garw attackers to long range efforts. We did not threaten the Garw goal enough and it was only a shot from outside the area from Symmons that brought a save from the Garw keeper. Symmons was involved again when his run into the box saw the Garw defender bring him down and the ref awarded a penalty. Up stepped skipper Williams but he couldn't keep his shot down and the ball went over the bar. With some tired legs on our side the remaining 10 mins saw Garw pressing looking for their 5th which they nearly did only to be denied by the woodwork. Final Score 0 - 4

This was a poor start to the season and if we don't pick our ideas up soon we could be in for a long season. We all need to pull together and pick our game up starting with our next game on Tuesday home to Penrhiwceiber, as we have some very good players in our side and just need to get the attitude right and get that first win to get the confidence back into the team.
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Player Ratings
Tom Lewis 4
Positive: Made some cracking saves (and some lucky ones)
Negative: Kicking wasn’t great (he also knows who writes these so can’t be too harsh)

Matthew Smith 4
Positive: Got injured
Negative: He’s fit for Tuesday

Nathan Williams 4
Positive: Not many beat him in the air
Negative: Unless it’s a corner or cross

Craig Williams 4
Positive: 1. Found the ball in Fred’s back garden. 2. Stayed in on his birthday
Negative: 1. That pen. 2. Was spotted in spar Friday night buying cans 3. That pen

Karl Williams 4
Positive: He was early, had the cleanest boots, had his polo shirt, helped with the nets and went back to the workies…full house
Negative: Lost a yard of pace over the break, and only had a yard starting off

Barrie Jones 4
Positive: Willing and able to get forward (but he’s not allowed)
Negative: Too close to the defence and didn’t push the players in front him forward

Lee Bolderson 4
Positive: Helped with the nets
Negative: Too close to the defence, tucked Huw up once or twice with some terrible passing

Luc Thomas 4
Positive: Worked back to help Chuckles
Negative: Played as a right winger

Ceri Meecham 4
Positive: Got away with a dirty boots fine
Negative: Didn’t leave number 4’s back pocket

Tyrone Jones 4
Positive: Run so much in the first 60 minutes that he had nothing left (never happened before)
Negative: Didn’t leave number 4’s back pocket and doesn’t come training

Matthew Symmons 4
Positive: Forced one good save out of the goalkeeper
Negative: On his own almost all game

Rob Evans 4
Positive: Held the ball up well
Negative: Struggled to find a pass because it was only him that far up

Wayne Davies 4
Positive: Sold the tickets in the Workies
Negative: Think he maybe too fast, feet don’t stop to control the ball

Huw Evans 4
Positive: Got new boots with running distance trackers
Negative: He’s not going to be happy with the results

Michael Tucker & Brett Rees
Will get their chance, nobody’s place in the team is safe after a performance like that

STANLEYTOWN 0 - 5 PENRHIWCEIBER
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Our first midweek game the season seen us play Penrhiwceiber at home, there were 3 changes from Saturday's defeat to Garw with Ian Reed returning in goals and John Williams & Robert Evans starting in place of the missing Matthew Symmons and Luc Thomas.

The game started with both sides evenly matched and both sides having a fair amount of the play, however it was Penrhiwceiber who had the first chances with a shot from outside the box being tipped wide by Reed in goals. We had our own chances, and when a corner was played into the back post Barrie Jones headed back across the goal for Criag Williams to head goalwards only for the Penrhiwceiber keeper to tip over the bar. It was Penrhiwceiber who got the breakthrough just before the half hour mark when a cross to the back post from the right was pulled back to the edge of the 6 yard box and the striker with plenty of time smashed the ball into the back of the net. Unlike previous occasions we didn't let our heads drop and we continued to take the game to Penrhiwceiber and should have been rewarded with an equaliser when a cross from Matthew Smith was met by the head of Evans which beat the keeper only for the defender on the line to clear, however there was some suggestion that the ball had crossed the line and his hand was used to clear the ball. Half Time 0 - 1.

The start of the second half continued in a similar fashion to the first, well for 10 minutes at least. Penrhiwceiber then doubled their lead just before the hour when their striker broke the offside trap and went through one on one and slotted the ball past Reed. Then for the next 10 minutes we may as well have walked off the field and just let Penrhiwceiber play on their own, which mentally most of us did and just let their midfield and strikers have a free run at goal and by the 70th minute we were 5 - 0 down and the game was over. The last 20 minutes saw a bit of competiveness come back and we started defending again and didn't really allow Penrhiwceiber to have any more clear cut chances and did push forward ourselves with Tyrone Jones having a free kick saved down low by the Penrhiwceiber keeper. Final Score 0 - 5

This was a very disappointing result to add to Saturday's defeat to Garw which leaves us bottom with zero points and conceding 9 without scoring ourselves in the first two games. For 60 minutes we were in this game and unlucky not to be level going into the half time break, however we had a 15 minute spell where we fell apart and everyone gave up which resulted in the embarrassing score line. It's only the 11 players out on the field that can have an impact on the game and just rolling over when things get tough is just going to result in more outcomes like this, players got to play for pride and with a bit of fight, if not for the team then at least for themselves. It's not all doom and gloom, we're only 2 games into a long season and a couple of wins and our fortune and confidence can turn around!

Player Ratings
Ian Reed 4
Made a couple of routine saves in the first half, but was largely untroubled. Not a lot he could have done about the 1st goal. Kicking was a bit suspect 2nd half, one of them led to one of their goals.
1st half rating – 6/10
2nd half rating– 3/10

Craig Williams 4
Good physical presence at the back and marshalled the defence well at times. Played the high long ball too often in the 2nd half when he maybe should have looked to play it into feet. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating - 6/10
2nd half rating - 3/10

Matthew Smith 4
Did well considering he didn’t have a winger in front of him and was isolated against two of their players at times, got forward well in the first half and was strong in the tackle and in the air. Switched to centre back early in the 2nd half and showed more of the same. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating - 6/10
2nd half rating - 3/10

John Williams 4
Again, did well considering he didn’t have a winger in front of him to help out. Got forward well 2nd half and was confident on the ball. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating - 6.5/10
2nd half rating – 3/10

Nathan Williams 4
Was strong in the air and held the line in defence well but made a couple of rash tackles. Was subbed off before the collapse in the 2nd half.
1st half rating - 6/10
2nd half rating - 3/10

Karl Williams 4
Was calm and composed in possession and didn’t give the ball away much. Should have looked to get on the ball a bit more. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating - 6.5/10
2nd half rating - 3/10

Lee Bolderson 4
Was always looking to make things happen and kept possession well. Should have taken more risks and got forward more. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating - 6.5/10
2nd half rating - 3/10

Barrie Jones 4
Good work rate and kept the ball well as always, but let his head drop too easily when things didn’t go our way, when players were looking to him for leadership. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating – 6/10
2nd half rating - 3/10

Tyrone Jones 4
Showed glimpses of what he is capable of, but not often enough. Showed some good creativity at times and tried to make things happen, but drifted in and out of the game. Should have taken more risks going forward and supported the strikers a bit better. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating – 6.5/10
2nd half rating – 3/10

Ceri Meecham 4
Struggled with some of the high balls played up to him 2nd half. Had a couple of half chances which he could have done better with. Should have gone looking for the ball a bit more and given the midfield more options. Closed down the defenders well when they had the ball. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating – 6/10
2nd half rating – 3/10

Rob Evans 4
Again, struggled with some of the high balls played up to him 2nd half. Was crowded out when he tried to hold the ball up but should have shown for the ball more often. Was very unlucky to have a good headed goal not given in the first half. Head dropped and gave up after going 2-0 down.
1st half rating - 6/10
2nd half rating - 3/10

Wayne Davies 4
Came on at full back early in the 2nd half and initially added a bit of an attacking thread down the right hand side, but struggled to get into the game after that. Head dropped and gave up after we went 2-0 down.

Tom Lewis 4
Came on later in the game when it was hard to make much of an impact.

It was an encouraging performance for 60-65 minutes, but our negative mindset and lack of belief contributed to the heavy defeat in the end. We didn’t react very well to the funny 5 minutes in the 2nd half and this was our downfall. We need to try and take some positives from this game and start playing with more confidence and start believing we can win games otherwise it’s going to be a very long and depressing season! Now is the time to try and sort it out, not 5 months down the line when it’s too late!

Saturday 17th August 2013
STANLEYTOWN 3 - 5 MARGAM YC
Rob Evans (2)
Craig Williams (p)
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Our 3rd game of the season and we were at home again, this time against newly promoted Margam Youth Centre. With several players missing there were 3 changes to the side from mid week, Huw Evans and Brett Rees got their first starts of the season and there was a debut in goals for Tyrone Owen.

With both sides losing their opening two games this was always going to be a chance for someone to get their season off the mark, and it was Margam who struck first on 15 mins when they broke the offside trap and their striker going through one on one and hit his shot across goal only for the ball to deflect off Lee Bolderson and wrong foot Owen in goals and the ball went into the corner. We struck back 10 mins later with our first goal of the season and a first club goal for Robert Evans. It was Matthew Smith's long ball over the top which Tyrone Jones latched onto and played a nice ball inside for Evans who held off the defender and slotted the ball past the keeper. We then had a 5 minute spell on top but couldn't get the second goal, then we had a disastrous spell where we fell apart again and saw Margam score twice and miss a sitter in 5 mins. Their first came from a free kick that went under the wall and into the corner and then they broke through the middle and increased their lead to 3 - 1, they then should have added a 4th when the ball was squared across the 6 yard box and with an almost empty net their striker fired wide. Margam did manage to get a 4th right on the stroke of half time to give them a 4 - 1 lead into the break.

After some encouraging words at half time we came out for the 2nd half with a bit of belief and this was soon evident with us taking the game to Margam, Jarrad Davies replaced Rees and his energy seem to transfer through to the other players and we were looking more of a threat going forward. Luc Thomas came on to replace Huw Evans and a change in formation was rewarded when we got our second goal of the game in the 70th minute, a low corner to the near post by Jones was flicked goal-wards by Davies and Evans guided it into the goal, this give us another level and we were pinning Margam back and only seemed a matter of time before we would get the third. Craig Williams came close with a well struck free kick which was saved well by the Margam keeper. In the 80th minute we did get our third after Davies hit a left foot curling shot from outside of he area which the keeper tipped onto the bar and as Evans was about to claim his hat-trick he was pushed in the back and the ref awarded a penalty. Up stepped Williams and made no mistake and fired the ball into the bottom corner. You could see the confidence in the side and the belief that we could get the equaliser and in the 85th minute a superbly struck shot from 30 yards by Jones beat the keeper only for the ball to come crashing back off the post. Despite all our pressure and the game largely being played in the Margam half it was a well struck free-kick by Margam in the 90th minute that gave Owen, who was largely a spectator in the 2nd half, no chance in the Town goal. Final score 3 - 5

On paper this seems another heavy defeat but only for the width of a post we could have taken away a well deserved point, if not all 3. Despite a positive 2nd half the first still left a lot of questions, we're conceding goals far too easily and they always seem to be from us giving the ball away, and once we conceded one we seem to concede another straight after. If we can tighten up defensively and cut out the silly mistakes that first win in just around the corner, we need to take the positives from this game into Tuesday's game against St Josephs.
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Player Ratings
Tyrone Owen 5
Debut in goals, difficult conditions for a goalkeeper, could have possibly done better for a couple of the goals. No chance with the free kick

Huw Evans 5
Starting to get his match fitness back, tough time against a quick winger

Matthew Smith 6
Back to centre half, unlucky with the hand ball for the free kick. Great pass to set the move for the first goal

Nathan Williams 5.5
Solid in the back and likes a challenge, doesn't lose many headers

Karl Williams 5.5
Comfortable on the ball at left back, always an option to have the ball.

Brett Rees 5
Tireless running in the first half, struggled to get into the game. Subbed early in the 2nd half

Lee Bolderson 6
Always wants the ball and willing to put his foot on it, unlucky with the deflections for their first goal

Barrie Jones 5
Quite game by his standards but still full of running, a couple of wayward passes

Tyrone Jones 7
Set up our first two goals and unlucky to see his long range effort hit the post in the last 5 minutes. Drifted inside to often in the 2nd half which took away our width

Craig Williams 5.5
Back up front for the skipper and didn't think twice about taking the penalty, thankfully didn't have to go looking in the streets for the ball this time

Rob Evans 6.5
Got his first goals for the club, showed great strength for the first, faintest of touches for the second. Won the penalty as well

Jarrad Davies 6
Gave the team a lift when he came on in the second half. Saw his effort hit the bar just before the penalty award. Though he scored the 2nd, only for Rob to tell him after the game that he had chested it in!

Luc Thomas 5
Came on half way through the 2nd half and played well on the right wing, happy to take people on.

Lewis Evans 5
Came on for the last 5 minutes, closed their defence down well and did have one break away

Tuesday 21st August 2013
STANLEYTOWN 3 - 2 ST JOSEPHS
Craig Williams
Lee Bolderson
Luc Thomas
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Our 4th game at home in a row saw us welcome St Josephs for this midweek encounter, there were 4 changes from Saturday's improved performance against Margam with Garry Edwards and John Williams returning to the back 4, Luc Thomas starting in midfield and Matthew Symmons up front.

Unlike previous game we started the brightest and could have been 4 up inside the first 10 mins, firstly Symmons using his quick feet to twice beat their defenders and go through one on one only to fail to hit the target. Rob Evans also had a chance again beating their defenders with ease and then seeing his shot go just wide of the post. The two then combined when Evans broke down the right only for his squared ball to Symmons to be cut out by the St Josephs keeper. Despite all our early pressure it was St Josephs who took the lead on 17 mins when their midfielder run straight through, as we were trying to play offside, to go one on one with Tyrone Owen in goals and finished with a lovely chip into the back of the net. We then had a rocky spell for 10 mins where we seemed all over the shop defensively but unlike previous games we didn't concede again. 5 mins before half time we drew level when Tyrone Jones's free kick into the box was headed by Craig Williams and his effort just creeping over the line. Half Time 1 - 1.

Early in the second half Nathan Williams replaced the tired Edwards (away drinking for a week will do that to you) at the back, as we continued on from the positive first half performance. However it was St Josephs who again took the lead after a run from the midfield, in similar fashion to the first goal, saw Owen in a one on one situation again and was unlucky this time as the St Josephs player knocked the ball around him and was brought down for a penalty. A well taken spot kick gave them a 2 - 1 lead. For the next spell of the game both sides had their share of the chances, with Owen being called into action on a couple of one on one occasions, this time coming out on top. Lewis Evans replaced Tyrone Jones in the 70th minute, not long after this we got our equaliser when a well taken corner by Symmons wasn't taken cleanly by the St Josephs keeper and a half clearance fell to Lee Bolderson 30 yards out and his fierce drive made the score 2 - 2. We started to take the game to St Josephs and were looking threatening on the attack but couldn't produce any real clear cut chances. That was until the 80th minute when a free kick from out wide by Karl Williams caused havoc in the St Josephs box and after a mini scramble the ball fell to the feet of Luc Thomas 6 yards out who turned and slotted the ball into the bottom corner and give us a deserved 3 - 2 lead. St Josephs pressured in the final minutes but couldn't really break through, Final Score 3 - 2.

After this hard fought game we came away with a deserved first 3 points of the season and an improved performance on the last 3 games. And as long as we can cut out our silly mistakes, where we're gifting goals to our opponents, and become a bit more ruthless in front of goal there is no reason why we can't build on this and pick up many more wins this season. Our game Saturday see us take a break from the league as we host Division One side Grange Albions in the Bruty Cup, before we return to league action the following week against AFC Whitchurch.

Player Ratings
Tyrone Owen 7.5
Despite giving pen away a excellent performance great shot stopping great addition to the squad, kicking needs work

John Williams 7.5
Showed good composure and worked hard all game up and down the field

Garry Edwards 7
Showed good pace and showed some good tackles, started to wonder

Craig Williams 7.5
Scored a goal, won everything in the air actually sounded like a skipper (bout time)

Matthew Smith 7.5
Talked to back 4 all game , won everything and was strong going forward

Lee Bolderson 8
Scored a belter, was solid from start to finish, excellent performance

Tyrone Jones 7.5
Worked hard all game tracking back and making good runs , footwork proved to quick for opposition

Karl Williams 7
Knocked ball around well , worked back to help back 4 , plays like he's half his age

Luc Thomas 7
Showed his ability going forward and worked hard up and down the field took his goal well

Rob Evans 8
Run his socks off held ball up well and proved too strong for their defence another great addition to squad

Matthew Symmons 7.5
Pace proved too much for opposition as was very unlucky not to get a goal

Nathan Williams 6
Came on headed everything made a few harsh challenges

Lewis Evans 6
Came on showed for the ball and was willing to run at opposition

CW BRUTY CUP
Saturday 24th August 2013
STANLEYTOWN 1 - 5 GRANGE ALBION
Barrie Jones

We took a break from league action this week to host division 1 side Grange Albion in the first round of the Bruty Cup. There were several changes to team from Tuesday's game with Tom Lewis, Barrie Jones and Alex Thomas returning to the starting 11.

Both sides started well with the game being stretched from end to end, it was Grange Albion who took the lead when some neat footwork by their striker on the edge of the box opened up space and he fired his left foot shot into the corner of the net. Grange Albion soon went 2 - 0 up when the ball was only half cleared and their shot from the edge of the area managed to go through our players and end up in the back of the net. We soon got a goal back when Barrie Jones went on a run from centre half and ended up one on one with the Grange Albion keeper and calmly rounded him and slot the ball into the empty net. Just before half time Grange Albion went 3 - 1 up when a shot from outside the area went straight through Lewis in the town goal.

With an injury picked up during the first half Craig Williams was replaced by Leon Semmens at half time. During the second half we weren't really in the game and conceded two sloppy goals from corners and seen Grange Albion hit the woodwork 3 times. Manager Phil Eason came on to replace the injured Leon Semmens in the final 15 minutes. Final Score 1 - 5.

We're back in league action next week when we host league leaders AFC Whitchurch.

Player Ratings
Tom Lewis 5
Positive: Positive? I'll have to come back to that.
Negative: flapped at a few, let one or two go through him to easy. He is actually better than that.

Alex Thomas 6
Positive: good when he had the ball, pace to burn.
Negative: To timid to receive the ball off the Keeper. Didn't get new calfs in preseason.

Craig Williams 5
Positive: played through an injury he picked up early on, did well to stay on.
Negative: played trough an Injury he picked up early on, stayed on.

Barrie Jones 6
Positive: Won everything in the air, took his goal well. Good engine as always.
Negative: needs to encourage his team mates more rather than run them down, don't think I heard him say anything positive all game. (Except when he said he was going to flatten someone for kicking him)

Matthew Smith 6
Positive: won a lot of aerial battles, still tried to play a bit of football when others lost heart.
Negative: didn't get forward to support as much as he could/should have. Shouted at geezer for going off, when actually he did have a bad knock after all.

Garry Edwards 4
Positive: turned up, won a few headers. Looked alright.
Negative: went off after about 12 minutes! Shocking

Lee Bolderson 6
Positive: always wants to play with the ball on the deck, full of energy.. Well, he runs a lot anyway.
Negative: didn't quite make anything of the possession he had. but still, he wanted the ball and tried to do it.

Karl Williams 6
Positive: the veteran of the team. Still plenty left in them old legs yet, not afraid to get stuck in and break play up, composed on the ball as always.
Negative: how much is plenty?

Tyrone Jones 6
Positive: always wants the ball to feet, good with it when he gets it too.
Negative: Drifted inside to look for the ball to much, left his full back a little exposed. Not as much energy as he's shown from the start of the season.

Rob Evans 6
Positive: you know when then ball goes up to him, it sticks. Always seems to see the right pass, doesn't always pull it off.
Negative: not sure what's more rusty looking, his hair or his legs? I'll leave that to you to decide.

Matthew Symmons 5
Positive: always try's to make thins happen when he gets the ball.
Negative: try's to do it to much on his own, when he could be bringing others into play. Doesn't work the back line enough.

Ceri Meecham 5
Positive: nice playing on the ball, needs to be more vocal and get involved in the game more.
Negative: still seems to be settling in, a little to timid in the tackle.

Leon Semmens 4
Positive: can't knock the boy. Always answers the towns call when called upon
Negative: WHAT was he doing for the 4th goal? No really.. WHAT?!

Phil Eason
Don't know what he's got against chuckles but he have him a hospital pass as soon as he came on. Did he pay cons?

Lewis Evans
Positive: lift let him down. Still made it before kick off from porth.
Negative: pulled his knee warming up. **Shake of the head**

Toms Positive: he did make a good one on one save in the first half.
Saturday 31st August 2013
STANLEYTOWN 0 - 4 WHITCHURCH
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This week we welcomed early pace setters AFC Whitchurch, we had three changes from last week's cup defeat with Ian Reed returning in goal and Nathan and John Williams returning to the back 4.

Despite the different starts for both clubs in the league this was not evident in the early stages of the game with both sides playing well and confident on the ball. Neither keeper was really tested with only half chances falling to both sides, Whitchurch's biggest threat coming with the long ball over the top, but was dealt well by the Town back four. Our biggest threat was coming from set pieces but unable to really test the Whitchurch keeper. Whitchurch broke the deadlock with 5 minutes of the half remaining when a ball over the top and calls for offside waved away by the referee saw their striker go through one on one and rounded Reed in the Town goal and slotted the ball into the net despite the best efforts of Craig Williams on the line. Half Time 0 - 1

The goal just before half time took some of the confidence away and this was evident early in the second half and we seemed to struggle with the Whitchurch pressure, but did manage to hold out, however we couldn’t pose much of a threat ourselves. On the hour mark we had a 10 minute collapse, similar to our previous games, and conceded 3 goals, the first when their striker beat 3 or 4 of our players and side footed the ball into the corner of the net. The 2nd came after some sloppy defending and their striker finished with a well taken shot. Whitchurch got their 3rd in 10 minutes and 4th of the game from the spot on 70 minutes after a soft penalty was awarded for a push by Garry Edwards. Some substitutions and a change of formation by Stanleytown for the last 20 minutes saw Alex Thomas replace John Williams, Tyrone Owen replace Nathan Williams and Tom Lewis come on for Karl Williams, but from then the game fizzled out and the Final Score 0 - 4.

This was a poor result in the end but again it was just down to a 10 minute spell in the 2nd half, which has cost us several goals in our opening 5 games. Every team will have a bad spell in a game, we just need to be able to deal with ours better and not concede silly goals. Our next game is a midweek trip to Penrhiwceiber on Tuesday 3rd September, 6:15pm kick off.

Player Ratings
Ian Reed 6
Done what he had to do, made some fine saves, couldn't do nothing about any of the goals that went past him.

Matthew Smith 5
Fell asleep on a few occasions and continued his form of a few dodgy passes. up against a tricky winger. nevertheless he gave his all for the full 90, put his head on the line.. literally.

Craig Williams 5
Not a bad game from the skipper commanded the back line well, another who didn't give up. nearly had his ankle taken off by goog towards the end.

Nathan Williams 5
As strong as always, in the tackles and in the air. Covered round well on a couple of occasions in the first half

John Williams 5
Also up against a very sharp winger, done ok but should of done better. grew into the game as time went on.

Barrie Jones 6
Played out wide right and done well bearing in mind it's not his best position. usual Barrie, didn't stop running, worked back at all times supporting his full back.

Karl Williams 6
Veteran of the team still playing as cool as ever, composed on the ball at all times. worked well in the middle with lee.

Lee Bolderson 6
Same performance from lee every week, constantly working his balls off to the final whistle and always looking for the ball.

Tyrone Jones 5
Looked isolated early on, often came inside looking for the ball. another who grew into the game. tried his best to make things happen when given the opportunity.

Rob Evans 5
Done well to hold up the ball but again lacked the service. often dropped deeper into midfield looking for the ball.

Garry Edwards 5
Played up top with rob, what?? not his best position... failed to link up with his fellow striker. done well to chase down their defence. missed a chance he should of tucked away.

Alex Thomas 5
Came on early in the second half as wing back, struggled to get into the game, had one good little run which he should be doing more of. One word.... calves.

Tom Lewis 5
Came on and like the other strikers he didn't get much service, didn’t put a foot wrong, tried his best to hold on to the ball.

Tyrone Owen 5
Come on and done reasonably well, bullied their 4 foot tall striker.
Tuesday 3rd September 2013
PENRHIWCEIBER 3 - 0 STANLEYTOWN
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Saturday 7th September 2013
ST ALBANS 6 - 1 STANLEYTOWN
Craig Williams
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MATCH REPORT TO FOLLOW

Saturday 14th September 2013
PENRHIWFER 4 - 1 STANLEYTOWN
Tyrone Jones
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This week we took the short away trip to 2nd in the league Penrhiwfer and with the squad stretched to the max and a few players not 100% the worse was feared after last weeks shocking second half performance against St Albans.

Despite the pre-match thoughts the game was evenly matched in the opening stages and Penrhiwfer were finding it hard to break through our back line and if the did manage it Ian Reed in the Town goal was at hand to keep the ball out. 10 minutes before half time Penrhiwfer did manage to break through when a long hopeful ball over the top was latched onto by their midfielder and a wild shot from the edge of the area just managed to dip at the last moment and beat Reed. Half Time 1 – 0

Penrhiwfer doubled their lead 10 minutes into the 2nd half when their winger went on a run down the left hand side, got through two poor Stanleytown challenges, cut inside and fired the ball into the back of the net. We didn’t let our heads drop and continued to try and take the game to Penrhiwfer and our closest chance came when Garry Edwards cut in from the right and took a shot in the most unlikely of ways from the edge of the area and saw his shot go just wide. Penrhiwfer sealed the game in the 70th minute when their striker latched onto a poor goal kick, went one on one with Reed and rounded him and knock the ball into the empty net. 5 minutes later we got a goal back, with what could be a contender goal of the season, when Tyrone Jones picked the ball up just inside the Penrhiwfer half carried it forward and from 35 yards hit a fierce drive that went straight into the top corner and gave the keeper no chance. During the last 15 minutes we made a few changes and a change in formation looking to get further goals, however we got caught on the counter attack and a low cross to the back post found an unmarked Penrhiwfer player who had the easiest of tap ins. Final Score 4 – 1

Player Ratings
Ian Reed 6
Made some good saves / what was he doing for one of the goals??

John Williams 6
Not one of johns best games needs to get stuck in harder

Rob Evans 7
Very good game from our new centre back only problem lacked a bit of pace

Nathan Williams 6
Win nearly everything puts himself about just lacked a bit of pace

Garry Edwards 6.5
Got pace and loves running at people, Can be very good for us just need to put his head to it.

Alex Thomas 6
Did a good job winger didn’t get passed him much just needs to sort out that fake injury he keeps on having

Matthew Smith 6.5
Did a decent job in centre mid....... is he a centre mid player though??

Barrie Jones 6
Always runs and runs only problem today was he went out last night ( hangover from hell ) need to work a Friday night and not go out!!

Luc Thomas 6
Likes running with the ball just needs to play it easier

Tyrone Jones 6
Another one suffering from the effects of Friday night drinking, did score a screamer though

Craig Williams 6
Run all day but hard playing up top on his own

Brett Rees 5.5
Replaced Luc mid way through the second half, took a knock early on so wasn’t running as much as previous games

Tyrone Owen 5.5
Came on up front, done the target man role well, didn’t lose much in the air

Tom Lewis 5.5
Played the last 10 minutes up front, struggled to get going in short time on

Saturday 21st September 2013
STANLEYTOWN 1 - 3 TONGWYNLAIS
Luc Thomas
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Still early in the season but we were already in a 6 pointer game with Tongwynlais at home, however some of the players didn't realise this and just turned up for a "kick about with the boys" and may as well not bothered, which some of them didn't second half which is the reason we lost 3 - 1!

Writing the match report for the previous 7 weeks and trying to put positive spins on games has been getting harder and harder, however after this defeat there is not a lot of positives to take from it, but I will try again.

First half we did compete at times and did manage to score

Second half, probably sent their keeper home full of boredom, poor guy didn't get a touch of the ball!

After this performance several players need to get their attitude right as at the end of the day it is the players on the field are the only ones who can change our fortunes, everything is on a plate off the field and players don't need to do a thing apart from train and play. Players do need to pay CONS though, which several of you failed to do on Saturday, it costs money to run the club!!

At least we got a break from the league for the next two weeks with back to back cup games against Neath side Ystradgynlias (FAW trophy) and Cadoxton (Senior Cup) before we return to league action against the leagues top goal-scores the Max on the 12th October
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Player Ratings
Tyrone Owen 4
Average performance from tyrone in the onion bag.
Seems to have inherited the stanleytown goalkeeper
goal kick curse.

John Williams 4.5
Won some tackles and one of the better performances
in the side. An improvement from the week before.

Alex Thomas 4
Hit some long passes in the 1st half, then got subbed.
The calfs were lactic acid free too

Rob Evans 4
Switched to centre half again and looked composed on the
ball at times. Also looked not so composed at times.

Nathan Williams 4
Not his best performance so far this season. Rumours of a
heavy drumming session with kinky boots /bad monkey the
night before.

Luc Thomas 4
Scored a goal, then got subbed.

Matthew Smith 4
Stanleytowns Mr. lookylikey was all over the park today. Played
the darren fletcher role 1st half, per mertesacker role 2nd half and
rodney trotter role when he went to left back.

Barrie Jones 4
Allegedly paid £120 for new boots. Had a few problems with finding
team mates and kept hitting the fence in 2nd half

Garry Edwards 4
Got stuck in a few times, ran about a bit ,got booked.

Craig Williams 4
Far from his best efforts this season. Looked like he was already
thinking about the beach and the wawter in majowca.

Tyrone Jones 4
Half hearted effort like most of team. Spent a lot of the 2nd half
on touchline helping gary thomas with the flag

Subs
Karl Williams 4
Started 2nd half .Apparently been off the booze for 3 weeks,
needs to get back on it after this performance.

Jarrad Davies 4
Came on 2nd half, ran about, got booked. Lacking match fitness.

Kurt Hughes 4
Came on 2nd half for senior debut after fred took advice.
1st touch gifted opponents one on one,but did settle and
looked to pass ball. Unfortunately for him the senior team
dont run as much as the u16s team.

Management/Backroom Staff/Old players
Phil Eason 5
Made a scouting trip to the merthyr valley for penydarren v
ynyshir albions match. Has yet to confirm if there are squash
court facilities at the ground.

Frederick Rees 9.5
Was there again to pick the team and witness the worst
stanleytown fc performance since last week/the week before/
the week before that. Would have been 10 but didnt help with
taking the nets down.

Magua 7.5
Was hoping for a home victory before next weeks scouting trip
to bournemouth. The £1000 on offer for winning the senior league
will now be reinvested in strengthening the squad and a meeting
with harry redknapp on the south coast has been planned.

Gary Thomas 9.5
Ran the line with all decisions fair and square. Needs to get squirt
in the back garden practising kicking with his left foot if he is
playing at left back. Would have been 10 but refused to sell
ticket back at the workies.

Dano 7.6
Almost made it to the match but thought better of it. Has recently
had a knee operation, but managed to get to the workies. Originally had
planned to have 2 pints and brought his binoculars .
Saw 2nd half from window and was on 5th magners when players got there.

Tom 9.5
Unused sub role today for tom. done the usual, has promised to get
shower temperature right by end of the year. Will be assisting doug
on scouting mission in bournemouth next week as club cheques
now need 2 signatures.

Saturday 28th September 2013
YSTRADGYNLAIS 5 - 0 STANLEYTOWN

Saturday 5th October 2013
CADOXTON 3 - 0 STANLEYTOWN
Our second cup game in as many weeks saw us travel to fellow Senior League Div 2 side Cadoxton for the 2nd round of the Senior Cup, and as per the previous week the squad was stretched to the max with only 12 players available, despite this there was a relaxed feeling amongst the players with the pressure off. Cadoxton took the lead within 15 minutes when a cross from the right was not cleared and their striker fired the ball home. We kept battling and competing but were still allowing Cadoxton to break through a bit easy at times and we soon found ourselves two goals down. An injury to Nicky Rees meant our manager Phil Eason was required from the bench. Shortly before half time Cadoxton went 3 - 0 up in a similar fashion to the first goal. We did have a few half chances ourselves with Ceri Meecham hitting the bar just before half time.

The Second half was dominated by Cadoxton as we struggled to get the ball forward and put their defence under any real pressure, and our cause wasn't helped when Meecham was forced off with an injury for the last half hour which meant playing the remainder of the game with 10 men. Despite their man advantage Cadoxton couldn't extend their lead due to some solid defensive work and good goalkeeping from Ian Reed. Final Score 3 - 0

With our recent run of results and depleted squad a 3 - 0 result on paper wasn't a bad outcome and that was mainly down to the effort and commitment put in by the players for a hard 90 minutes in the heat. If this commitment and effort can be put in week in week out by every player at the club then results will start to turn, hopefully starting next week when we're back in league action against Max Utd.

Saturday 12th October 2013
STANLEYTOWN 1 - 8 MAX UTD
Rob Evans

This week we were back in league action hosting The Max and for the 3rd week running our squad was stretched to the limit, and with 2 players letting us down at the last minute meant 3 players having to play through the pain barrier to ensure we had 11 players on the field. Despite this the first half was a well contested with both sides having chances, however it was the Max who took the lead after the referee awarded a harsh penalty against Matthew Smith for hand ball, their centre back stepped up and sent Nick Rees in the Town goal the wrong way. The Max doubled their lead through a shot come cross from outside of the box which took a wicked deflection and the ball looped over Rees into the back of the net. We did manage to pull a goal back to make it 2 - 1 when some determent play by Jordan Westcott mange to beat a couple of the Max players and his cross into the box was flicked on by Tom Lewis into the path of Rob Evans who had time on the ball to drive it past the Max keeper. The comeback was short lived though as within minutes the Max restored their 2 goal advantage when a ball over the top was latched onto by their striker who lifted the ball over the on rushing Rees into an empty net to give the Max a 3 - 1 half time lead.

Injuries started to take their toll in the second half when Rees was forced to come off 5 minutes in, Lewis went in goals and Luc Thomas came on up front. We managed to contain the Max for the next 10 minutes until they were awarded their second penalty of the game, again harshly, when Garry Edwards was adjudged to have taken their striker before the ball, their centre half stepped up again and put the ball into the corner of the net giving Lewis no chance. The Max got their fifth soon after when their striker got on the end of a through ball and just knocked in past the on-coming Lewis. We then lost another player to injury when Westcott was forced to go off which meant playing the final 20 minutes with 10 men. A half cleared corner to the edge of the box lead to their 6th with a powerful shot through a number of bodies ended up in the back of the net. With our players out on their feet and the Max still pushing for more goals gaps started to appear and they got their 7th when the ball fell to an unmarked man on the edge of the area and he curled his shot into the far corner. Our day was summed up with 10 minutes remaining when a cross into box was met by the head of Evans which inadvertently lobbed Lewis in the Town goal. Final Score 1 - 8
Player Ratings
Nicky Rees - 7
answered the late call to put the gloves on and played through the pain barrier. couldn't do much about any of the goals. forced off early in the second half

Jay White - 7
made his stanleytown debut and put in a solid performance, didn't lose many tackles. run out of steam towards the end but match fitness will come with more games. will be a great addition to the squad

Nathan Williams - 6
same commitment and effort week in week out, will tackle / kick anything in front of him and doesn't lose many headers. tiredness kicked in towards the end

Garry Edwards - 6
had a good game at centre half and was unlucky to concede the penalty in the second half, went on a few runs late on

Matthew Smith - 6
skippered the side this week and had to do a job back at full back and done what was required, unlucky to concede the penalty in the first half

Kurt Hughes - 6
moved out to the wing this week, not afraid to get stuck in and caused their full back problems at times in the first half, tired legs at the end and driffted out of the game

Jordan Westcott - 8
could hardly walk before the game due to injury but still stepped onto the field and put a good shift in, done well to create the chance for the goal. forced off with injury mid way through the 2nd half

Jarrad Davies - 7
a return to the side for jarrad and he put a good performance in, never stops running, done his best to protect the back four and get up to support the attack. still kept going at the end

Alex Thomas - 6
another who played through the pain barrier, didn't want to play but answered the call when other players let us down. done what was required of him throughout the game, lasted the 90mins

Rob Evans - 8
played in the attacking midfield role and caused their defence problems, done well to link the play and took his goal well. unlucky with his header in the final minutes to put the ball in his own net

Tom Lewis - 6
was playing in goals until 15 minutes before kick off then had to play up front. tried to hold the ball up, linked well with Rob for our goal. moved in goals early in the 2nd half, conceded 5 goals, could have done better with a couple of them

Luc Thomas - 5
Needs to get a better alarm clock, didn't wake up till 1 o'clock and missed kick off. Came on for Nicky in the 2nd half couldn't really get into the game.

I know these rating seem high for a side that lost 8 - 1 but for the 11 who started the game you can't fault their effort and commitment and in the end we just run out of steam and with a lack of fresh players to come off the bench we conceded late goals. With 3 new signings after the game and a few more in the pipeline in the coming week, along with the players to come back we won't have a bad squad and we just need to get some confidence in the team and no doubt our results will start to come

Saturday 19th October 2013
CADOXTON 1 - 2 STANLEYTOWN
Jordan Westcott
Keiran Tann
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After several weeks of a depilated squad and our heaviest defeat of the season last week we were going into this game with a rejuvenated squad, after a few signings through the week and the return of several players we had a strong squad of 16 travelling to play Cadoxton, who a fortnight ago beat us 3 - 0 in the cup. Conditions were not the best with heavy rain coming down, but the conditions suited us better than our hosts.

Early pressure came from the home side but rarely managed to trouble Ian Reed in the town goal due to some solid defending, with both centre halves, Nathan Williams and Garry Edwards, putting their bodies in the line of any shots. The back four were also well protected by the two midfielders in front on the, Lee Bolderson and Jordan Westcott, who both kept running all game. We were also looking dangerous on the break with the pace and skill of debutant Keiran Tann causing their full back problems. In the 25th minute, for the first time this season, we scored the first goal of the game when Westcott picked the ball up in his own half, spotted the keeper off his line and hit a well struck shot from the half way line to leave their keeper stranded and watching the ball drop over his head into the net. 1 - 0 to the Town, which was how it stayed going into the break.

As we came out for the second half we knew that we were going to be under pressure but you could see the belief within the side that we could get something out of this game and the commitment and effort from each player was second to none. Each player done their job, and it was Jay White who probably had the more difficult job on the field, keeping their winger quite who was their main threat a fortnight ago, and to his credit he didn't give him a kick. You could sense Cadoxton's frustrations growing and this starting to leave gaps in their back line and we had a few half chances ourselves, first Craig Williams broke through and his long range effort went just over and soon after some good link up play by Williams found Rob Evans free just outside the box and his shot went just wide. Cadoxton themselves had a few chances, first when they did manage to break free only for Reed to be quick off his line to save at the feet of the attacker. Then shortly after a scramble in the box and a low shot which was beyond the reach of Reed was cleared off the line by a brave Matthew Smith sliding across the goal crashing into the post at the same time. 10 minutes from time the ball was in our net when a low bouncing cross took a bad deflection off Garry Edwards and into the back of the net. We didn't drop our performance levels and kept going and in the 85th minute a through ball by Martin Jones found Tann in space and he went through one on one and coolly slotted the ball past their keeper to get his first goal for Stanleytown. The amount of injury time played didn't help with the nerves at the end of where an extra 10 minutes was played, but the players stuck at it and battled to that final whistle to earn a well deserved 3 points.

We got to build on this result now and with a strong bench available on Saturday competition for places will be tough, but as long as everyone sticks at it and turn up week in week out there is no reason why this win can't be the first of many, continuing next week when we are at home against newly promoted and local neighbours Sporting Marvels
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Player Ratings
Ian Reed 9
Solid game in between the sticks, made some good one on one saves and commanded his area well

Jay White 9
Probably had the hardest job on the pitch marking a very sharp winger. But kept him pretty quiet

Nathan Williams 9
Solid performance against a very busy opposition attack. Not afraid to put his body on the line when needed

Garry Edwards 9
Excellent performance despite scoring in the wrong goals. Said he's just glad it was him and not their muppet of a number 9 managed not to buckle anyone this week too

Matthew Smith 9
Another solid back four performance. Brave goal line clearance in the second half

Lee Bolderson 9
As usual, ran his socks off and battled from start to finnish. If everyone was as fit as Lee we'd be higher up the table

Jordan Westcott 9
What can I say. The goal spoke for itself. Great vision and gave them a lot of trouble when on the ball. Star man in my opinion

Rob Evans 9
Another strong midfield performance, played some good passing football on an impossible surface.

Martin Jones 9
Covers a lot of ground for a striker. Conditions not the best for running with the ball but still looked dangerous

Craig Williams 9
Usual from frog. Strong on the ball. Always gives 100 percent

Keiran Tann 9
Took his goal brilliantly under pressure. Looks very good on the ball, can see him scoring a lot more goals. Contender for start man
Saturday 26th October 2013
STANLEYTOWN 0 - 1 SPORTING MARVELS

This week we hosted Sporting Marvels, and again we had a strong squad of 16 to choose from and after last weeks victory confidence in the camp was high. The game itself though was a scrappy affair with neither side taking control of the game and very little chances created. We had a few half chances early on with a couple of shots going just wide, however it was Sporting Marvels who got the breakthrough on the half hour mark when a low corner managed to find its way to the back post and they struck from 6 yards out.

A change at half time saw Alex Thomas replace Matthew Smith and 15 minutes in Karl Williams replaced the injured Craig Williams. The second half never really got going with it being very stop start, Ian Reed was required to make two good saves from distance and Rob Evans was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty in the final minutes when he was having his shirt pulled by the Sporting Marvels defender. Kurt Hughes replaced Martin Jones in the final 2 minutes. Final Score 0 - 1

Player Ratings
Ian Reed 7
Didn't have a lot to do over the course of the 90 minutes, pulled off two great saves in the second half to keep the score at 1 - 0

Jay White 8
Different game, different winger but same result, Jay had him in his pocket all game. Winger couldn't get past him a resorted to moaning at the ref that Jay wasn't playing fair!!

Nathan Williams 7
Starting to form a good partnership with Goog, solid as ever in the back and not afraid to get stuck in.

Garry Edwards 8
One of his better games this week, swept up well round the back and put one good hard tackle in early on to let the striker he was about

Matthew Smith 6
Seemed to be struggling this week and only lasted 45 mins. Still pushed forward and always gave an option out wide when on the attack

Lee Bolderson 6
Game was very scrappy and stop start so difficult to get control, worked tirelessly in the middle of the park again, protected the back four and tried to get forward to support the front

Jordan Westcott 6
Same as Lee, difficult to get control of the middle of the park, tried a long range shot again, didn't quite work as well as last week though, he tried to disguise how far off target it was by apologising to Keiran for a bad pass!!

Rob Evans 7
Was the link between midfield and Frog, done the job well, also got the two wide boys into the game

Martin Jones 6
A threat on the ball when running at defenders, done the defensive part of the game well. He was actually on time this week as well!!

Keiran Tann 6
Dangerous when he got the ball at his feet and not afraid to run at their back four, caused their full back problems at times

Craig Williams 6
Hard job up front on your own but worked his socks off closing their back four down, that sniper had him early in the second half so was forced to come off

Alex Thomas 6
Came on for Chuckles at half time, got down the line well and always willing to go past defenders

Karl Williams 6
Came on for the last half hour, put his foot on the ball and tried to control the tempo from midfield

Kurt Hughes 5
Replaced Martin for the last 5 minutes, managed to get himself booked in the short time he was on

Saturday 9th November 2013
STANLEYTOWN 0 - 4 PENRHIWFER
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Back to action this week against local side Penrhiwfer who had not won a game since beating us 5 weeks ago. For the 3rd week running we had a squad of 16 to choose from however the attitude and body language before the game left a lot to be desired.

We seemed to start the better taking control of the game and had the better of the possession and chances in the opening half hour, with Rob Evans coming the closest but was unable to connect with a low cross across the face of the goal. Despite this it was Penrhiwfer who took the lead in the 35th minute when a corner to the far post was defended poorly and they struck from close range. 5 minutes later they were 2 up when a free kick from the edge of the box was well saved by Ian Reed but we were slow to react to the rebound and we 2 - 0 down going into the break.

We came out for the second half trying to put the last 10 minutes behind us and almost got a goal back immediately when keiran tann got on the end of a long through ball but put his shot just wide. We then had a disastrous 5 minute spell where we conceded a further 2 goals, first from the penalty spot after Garry Edwards brought their striker down inside the box, then we failed to clear a ball over the top and we were 4 - 0 down and the game was over. Knowing the game was lost we did try and keep going and came close when a free kick into the box was headed towards goal by Ceri Meecham only for the keeper to save well and then quickly up to deny Jordan Westcott a tap in for 6 yards. Penrhiwfer had a few more chances themselves but were unable to increase their lead. Final Score 0 - 4

Player Ratings
Ian Reed 6
Despite conceding four, he still pulled off a few really good saves, which kept the scorline down to four. Maybe needs to communicate with the defenders a bit more on corners though?

Jay White 4
Won a few headers and got stuck in well, but didn’t get forward enough. Also turned up 25 minutes before kick off, which isn’t good enough.

Garry Edwards 5
Got stuck in well and made some crunching tackles in the first half, and marshalled the defence well. Was at fault for the third goal though, when he foolishly tried to nutmeg their striker on the edge of the box and ended up giving away a penalty at a crucial time in the game.

Mitchell Tann 6
The promising centre back made his debut on Saturday and looked impressive. Was part of an inexperienced back four and against a big bruiser of a striker but he coped really well given the circumstances, and looked quite solid. Didn’t disappoint.

Alex Thomas 4
Was strong in the tackle and got forward well on a few occasions in the first half. Turned up 25 minutes before kick off though, which isn’t good enough.

Jordan Westcott 6
Has formed a good partnership with Lee Bolderson in midfield over the past few weeks and Saturday was no different. Was always looking to get on the ball and always manages to get in the box and create chances for himself. Probably should have done better early in the 2nd half when he was the first to react to Meecham’s saved header, but the keeper did well in to hold on to it in fairness.

Lee Bolderson 6
Lead by example again, and give 100% like he always does…..Was good going forward and in defence…… always tried to make things happen and got stuck in. Maybe needs to be more vocal on the pitch though?

Kieran Tann 6
Had a quiet first half apart from two decent chances, one at the back post when he was unlucky not to get on the end of Meecham’s cross and another sweet half volley which was saved well by the keeper. Responded well to some words of encouragement at half time and looked more lively 2nd half, got on the ball a lot more and tried to make things happen. Needs to learn when to pass and when to shoot and should try and support the striker a bit more

Rob Evans 5.5
Didn’t quite have his slippers on this week unfortunately, lost the ball a couple of times and was slightly below his high standards, but having said that, he didn’t let his head drop once and was still looking to create chances and make things happen. Maybe could have done better with a half chance in the first half when he failed to get on the end of a cross.

Ceri Meecham 5
Returned to the starting lineup after several weeks out with a hamstring injury. Was very quiet for the first 20 minutes and struggled to get into the game, but created 2 good chances late in the 1st half. Was unlucky to have a header saved in the 2nd half. Came off after 60 minutes, needs to improve his fitness and be more vocal on the pitch

Craig Williams 5
In his first game back after an ankle injury, he had a tough job against two centre backs, but battled well physically and challenged for everything in the air. Linked up well with the widemen at times, but faded a bit in the 2nd half. Should have looked for the ball into feet more and moved the centre backs around a bit.

Luc Thomas 4
The man who’s adopted a ‘1 week on, 6 weeks off’ system was available this week, but struggled when he came on for Meecham after 60 minutes. Tried too hard to make things happen when he should have kept it simple, and lost the ball almost every time he had it after trying to beat too many players. Very talented player but needs to start turning up every week!

Pedro Costa 5
Another promising centre back. Came on for Mitchell late in the 2nd half, after the damage had been don. Gave away a free kick almost immediately for pushing into the striker’s back, but looked solid enough after that.

Tom Lewis 5
Came on up front instead of Frog late on, very difficult to make an impact in the final 10 minutes though, probably should have come on sooner to offer something different.

Saturday 23rd November 2013
MARGAM YC 3 - 0 STANLEYTOWN
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Back to action this week and we made the long trip to Margam, and despite having a strong squad of 16 for the last 3 games this week, for a variety of reason, we had several players missing and travelled with a bare 11.

This was only going to be a tough game and this became clear early on with Margam using their pace down the flanks to cause us problems and they took the lead just before the 15 minute mark when we failed to clear a low cross into the box and their striker turned and slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Just after this our job became even harder when we were reduced to 10 men after Garry Edwards so red for a reckless tackle. We continued to battle and try to push Margam back but this was always difficult with 10 men and we were exposed to the counter attack at times, and this was how their second goal of the game came when their striker broke free and rounded Tom Lewis in goals to knock into an empty net. 5 minutes before the break we were 3 – 0 down after we switched off and Margam took a quick free kick and their winger with time and space fired the ball past Lewis in the Town goal. Half Time 3 – 0

Beginning the second half a man down and trailing by 3 some people were fearing the worst, however full credit to the players on the field we dug in and battled for 45 minutes, wasn’t the most exiting game to watch but we kept Margam at bay and they failed to add to their lead. They had a few half chances from free kicks and a couple of breakaways but nothing that really troubled Lewis in goals.
Final Score 3–0

Player Ratings
Tom Lewis 6
stepped in for missing reedy, always gives 100% whether he be in goals or outfield, made some good stops throughout, lacked the support of the majority of outfield players, thinks he’s quicker than he actually is when making decisions to come for loose balls (calm it down tom).

Kurt Hughes 4.5
started at right back, had a tough job facing his opposing wingers speed but done ok, looked to be lacking in confidence but im sure it will develop as he gets more playing time, he is still only young.

Craig Williams 5
added his size to the heart of the defence, looked to be struggling to communicate with garry which only made his job harder, did win a number of headers and looked to get the ball down and play in the second half.

Garry Edwards 2
let his team mates down with a stupid challenge 15 mins into it, simply not acceptable to do when travelling away with a bare 11. Did apologise after the game but the boy has no brain.

Alex Thomas 7.5
looks to have found his position at left back (with what he likes to call the best left foot in the league), was a contender for star man with a performance which is close to his best all season, run his socks off for a full 90 with no complaints about his calves which is a miracle in itself, got forward well and looked positive on the ball hopefully stays fit and continues on from this performance.

Ceri Meecham 5
started out wide left, run his socks off for the first half keen to impress but unfortunately struggled to get much of the ball, done his defensive duties well tracking back. Went upfront in the second half where he chased the ball down well but lacked any service from his team mates, sure if he keeps showing this effort he will get rewards.

Jordan Westcott 6
started in the middle of the park but was forced to drop in at centre half after the sending off of garry Edwards. Adjusted straight away and won everything in the air, swept up well behind frog and kept things solid in the second half, looked to play the long ball too much which was never working but overall a good performance from a sober Jordan.

Lee Bolderson 7.5 (star man)
this boys engine is unbelievable undoubtedly the fittest at the club, covered every blade of grass and led from the front, obviously found it frustrating on times but stuck at it and showed his calmness on the ball, seemed to have upped his game since taking over as captain

Kieran Tann 5
took a while to get into the game and stayed to far up field in the first half needed to work back and do his defensive duties as well as offer his attacking skills, second half looked a different player helped track back and showed what he can do going forward with the ball at his feet, on times needs to look to play the simple ball the way he is facing will make his game so much easier.

Robert Evans 5
was given a free role and for the first half took this far too lightly, was quiet and struggled to get on the ball, came into it more as the game went on working hard off the ball in the second half, didn’t get much service unfortunately and down to 10 men can be frustrating when u are a attacking player.

Martin Jones 5
started upfront and was given very little service because of the struggle of adjusting to 10 men, came wide looking for the ball which is understandable when u are keen to be on the ball but unfortunately this resulted in us losing our shape a number of times, second half swapped with ceri and was put out wide left where he was a lot busier worked hard both up and down the field, best position is out wide troubling defenders with his speed and strength, also he broke the human shot-put record throwing his opposite number about 10 yards.

Garry Thomas 8.5
unused sub, showed his eagerness to go on warming up endlessly on the side-line unfortunately his efforts was not seen by the manager and he wasn’t given a run out, this desire to play is what is needed and im sure his chance will come! Keep up the good work goodjob!

Saturday 30th November 2013
WHITCHURCH 3 - 1 STANLEYTOWN
Tom Lewis
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For the second week running we had only a bare 11 and we were away to 3rd place AFC Whitchurch. After last weeks second half performance there was a new found belief within the side. Despite this being a top v bottom clash this was not evident when the game got under way with both sides competing well.

The best of the early chances fell to the home side when their striker managed to break the offside trap and went through but Pedro Costa in the Town goal managed to save the first effort and the Whitchurch player then put the re-bound wide. Our best chance came from the penalty spot after Ceri Meecham was brought down just inside the box, up stepped Jordan Westcott but his penalty was saved and he failed to covert the re-bound. Whitchurch did take the lead half hour in when a ball over the top was picked up by their striker who from just inside the box fired into the far corner giving Costa no chance. Just before the break we came close to equalising from a corner when the ball fell to Jay White whose looping shot hit the bar, the ball then fell to Westcott 3 yards out but somehow his effort also hit the bar and he Tom Lewis headed over. Half Time 1 - 0

With some strong word of encouragement at half time we started the second half looking to take the game to Whitchurch and get a deserved equaliser, this came 15 minutes in when Nathan Williams intercepted a ball at the back to start the move, which was played through the midfield and down the left hand side to Keiran Tann who beat their full back with ease and put a dangerous low cross into the box where Lewis got across the front of the defender and slotted the ball past the Whitchurch keeper. This gave us a lift but unfortunately it was not long lived when 5 minutes later Whitchurch regained their lead, with what seemed a suspicious offside decision went against us and a well struck shot from just outside area found its way into the top corner and out of the reach of Costa in the Town goal. In the final 20 minutes the game got harder for us, as for the second week running we were reduced to 10 men with Garry Edwards getting his marching orders. Whitchurch sealed the 3 points soon after when we got caught out with a ball over the top and again they went through one on one and fired home. This did knock us and as every player had a put in a good shift we just started to run out of steam and our only chances were coming from set pieces, and it was only for some good goalkeeping by Pedro Costa that managed to keep the score at 3 - 1.

Saturday 7th December 2013
STANLEYTOWN 1 - 5 ST ALBANS
Rob Evans

We were back at home this week in a 6 pointer against St Albans, and although we had more than 11 players available for the first time in 3 weeks we were still missing several key players. We started the brightest and looked to attack St Albans from the off, and should have been in front inside the first 15 mins, when firstly Jordan Westcott saw his placed shot from outside the box go just past the post, then minutes later a good ball across the face of the goal by Ceri Meecham was just missed by Luc Thomas at the back post. Finally 15 minutes in some good work between Keiran Tann and Tom Lewis saw the ball drop to the feet of Tann, who from just inside the area shot wide. Despite all the early pressure we were made to pay for not taking our chances when St Albans broke for the first time and went 1 - 0 up. They increased their lead with they're 2nd and 3rd chances of the game to give them a 3 - 0 lead against the run of play. We had a couple more half chances ourselves with a Lee Bolderson free kick saved by the St Albans keeper and just before the break Lewis failed to get onto a good through ball from Rob Evans. Half Time 0 - 3

We started the second half similar to the first and looked to get back into the game, but in similar fashion to the first we got caught on the break and St Albans increased their lead with only their 4th and 5th chances of the game to put them 5 - 0 up. By this time the confidence within the team and gone and heads were starting to drop, but we did try and keep going and kept pushing but not really troubling the St Albans keeper. We did finally mange to get a goal 15 mins from the end when Lewis was fouled in the box and the ref awarded a penalty, up stepped Evans and calmly slotted the ball into the corner sending the keeper the wrong way. Final Score 1 - 5

We got to put this result behind us now and move onto next weeks game against St Josephs in another must win 6 pointer. Need all players available and no excuses as it is only the players themselves that can get the Town out of this mess at the foot of the table.
Saturday 14th December 2013
ST JOSEPHS 5 - 4 STANLEYTOWN
Craig Williams
Jarrad Davies
Jordan Westcott (2)
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This week we travelled to 2nd bottom St Josephs in what was another 6 pointer, there were a few returns from long absences for Jarrad Davies and Matthew Symmons along with the returns of Nathan & Craig Williams which brought a positive mood to the squad.

The high confidence paid off early when we took the lead inside 2 minutes when Craig Williams got onto a long ball over the top before the rushing keeper and side footed home from 30 yards. However we were unable to build on this and started to allow St Josephs back into the game and they were on level terms in the 15th minute when a corner was headed in from 6 yards. St Josephs took the lead through another cross which dropped to the strikers feet at the back post and he fired past Ian Reed. St Josephs got a third in the 35th minute when their striker charged down a clearance and slotted into an empty net. We didn't give up and started to push and came close to getting a goal back just before the break when a Karl Williams free kick across the face of the goal was headed just wide by Jarrad Davies. Half Time 3 - 1

We came out for the second half looking to take the game to St Josephs and get back in the game, an early substitution saw Symmons make his first appearance since August in place of Keiran Tann. However despite some early positive play it was St Josephs who got the next goal when a corner was only cleared to the edge of the box and a shot through several players, including one of their strikers in an offside position and in front of the keeper, meant Reed didn't see till late and was unable to keep it out. 5 minutes later we got a goal back when some good link up play between Alex Thomas to Symmons down the left and his cross from the bye line was met by the left foot of Davies to fire past the keeper, 4 - 2. This was short lived as St Josephs regained their 3 goal advantage when their winger broke down the right and fired sweetly beyond Reed from just inside the box. Despite being 3 goals behind there was still 25 minutes left and we didn't give up and for a change we seemed to have a bit of belief about us that we could still get something from the game. Our pressure soon paid off in the 75th minute when a mix up between their centre half a goalkeeper saw Jordan Westcott through one on one and with no hesitation he made the score 5 - 3. Minutes later Westcott was through again in similar fashion but this time his low shot just crept past the post. At late sub and a switch to a more attacking formation brought it's reward when the ball fell to Westcott 25 yards out and his well struck shot beat the keeper to make it 5 - 4 with minutes remaining. With time running out we did manage to get the ball in the net once more when Westcott's shot from outside the box was well saved by the St Josephs keeper, but first to the rebound was Davies whose shot from a tight angle found the net, only for the referee to have wrongly adjudged him to be offside and ruled the goal out and deny us a vital well deserved point. Final Score 5 - 4

Despite the final score in a game we could ill afford to lose there was still some positives to take from it, this was the first time we scored more than a goal in a game since the win over Cadoxton back in October and the first time we have scored 4 in a game since December 2012

Saturday 4th January 2014
STANLEYTOWN 3 - 3 TONYREFAIL
Jordan Westcott
Martin Jones
Tom Lewis
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After the enforced Xmas break due to the weather we were back in action this week at home to promotion contenders Tonyrefail.

Tonyrefail were playing with like a side full of confidence and had the better of the early chances, however there was some resilience about the Town today and we dug deep and had a few half chances ourselves. It was Tonyrefail who took the lead when an offside decision fell their way in the 20th minute and they went 1 - 0 up. We did manage to hit back almost immediately when a free kick from out wide by Martin Jones was met by the head of Jordan Westcott to grab his 4th goal of the season. Half Time 1 - 1

We started the brightest in the second half and was rewarded inside the first 5 mins when a long through ball by Craig Williams to Jones who took his time, beat his man and saw his shot take a deflection and into the net to put us in front. Tonyrefail drew level 10 minutes later when their striker found space on the edge of the box and his well struck shot beat Ian Reed in the Town goal. Reed was then the difference between the two sides when he pulled off a string of top saves to keep the scores level. With 15 mins remaining we changed formation and brought Tom Lewis on from the bench in place of Luc Thomas looking for all 3 points. In the 85th minute Tonyrefail regained the lead when a corner to the back post was headed in from 6 yards. Unlike previous occasions we didn't give up and pushed for a late equaliser, which we deservedly got deep into injury time. Alex Thomas strong run forward saw him brought down on the edge of the box, up stepped Westcott with the free kick which hit the foot of the post into the keepers leg and fell kindly to Lewis who from inside the 6 yard box fired home. Final Score 3 - 3
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Player Ratings
Ian Reed 7.5
Good solid game from our big keeper, some very important saves and commanded in his area, did mention he hadn't stopped drinking since the 20th dec, that's enough Guinness for the body to survive 3 months. Respect.

Matthew Smith 7
Good to see chucks back after his latest sabbatical, threw himself about for the full 90 mins, won't be legging it from any dogs on Monday morning after seeing him crawl home after the game. #ofcoursewewill

Alex Thomas 9 - STAR MAN
Star man award goes to Billy Biceps for his romper stomper performance at left back and wing back. Did tire a little second half after his lung bursting first half runs, not to worry Googs cold bucket of water soon woke him up in the shower!

Rob Evans 7
This man doesn't like warming up, he had three changes of clothes and boots before the match started. Wouldn't be surprised if he missed the hailstones before kick off too. Good distribution, battled hard with his partner and kicked superbly throughout the match.

Nathan Williams 7
Watching the hail bounce off a bald bonce was a sight to behold, however this man is battle hardened and quite often ridiculously dirty so big balls of ice didn't phase him. Usual solid defensive performance hard tackling and organised.

Karl Williams 7
Evergreen Karl did actually seem to turn green like the Incredible Hulk when he discovered Shay had taken a dip in Toms pond after the match. Sat infront of the back 4 like makalele yesterday, sitting like his old man big nose with a walking stick today.

Luc Thomas 7
Hard working dog like performance from Luc out on the wing, never shirked a tackle and got forward and supported the front man whenever he could. Did hear him say half way through the second half he was starving??? Must of been the munchies kicking in from the pre-match reefer!

Lee Bolderson 7.5
This mans effort and running doesn't go unnoticed from his team mates, covered every blade of grass (again) and was a contender for star man (again). Reckons he didn't train over Christmas. Bo####ks. Isn't a fan of bribes though so squirt will always win. Too nice see ;-)

Craig Williams 7
First game back for a while, and is missing next week due to another 30th birthday present from the missus. He plays about as much as Googs these days. Ran hard up front and was put back to sure up defence in second half. You know what they say, "jack of all trades, master of none".

Jordan Westcott 7.5
Good balance being struck in the centre of the field at the moment, had a good range of passing short and long, tackles hard and heads well. Excellent free-kick for the equaliser just hitting the post. Heard his penalties are just as crap as frogs tho.

Martin Jones 7
This man seems to play like he's horizontal most of the time and heard he couldn't get up from being horizontal in bed this morning. Another who supported well and worked tirelessly out wide, always looks like he wants to murder someone on the field these days.

Tom Lewis 7
Another super sub performance from Ole Gunnar Tom Cat. Was the first to react for the equaliser which sent his reputation further towards "god like" status with the Town faithful. Big concerns tho as everybody seems to get bigger after Christmas but Tom has LOST weight. Is he suffering from an eating disorder ?

Kurt Hughes
An unused substitute. Fair play to the fella for his commitment in this weather. Dull as a brush tho, thought the curry was gravy back at the workies and also failed to realise it was FA cup weekend although Liverpool were playing Oldham.

An overall good battling performance which seen every player put in a excellent effort for the whole of the 90 minutes. Although we are in a sticky situation we have the management and support staff to make our fortunes turn around. Only us Lads can do this.

Saturday 11th January 2014
TONYREFAIL 5 - 0 STANLEYTOWN
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After last weeks point against Tonyrefail, this week it was the return fixture with us looking to build on last weeks result but it was never going to be easy with the team stretched to the limit yet again. Tonyrefail took the lead 15mins in when they broke down our right side, cut into the box and with Tom Lewis unable to gather the ball cleanly inside the box it lead to a scramble and the ball fell kindly to their striker to put them 1 - 0 up. Their second goal came when a free kick was only cleared to edge of box and a sliced shot ended up in the top corner. The pressure continued to be piled on our defence and Tonyrefail got their 3rd when their striker broke the offside trap, went one on one and rounded Lewis to slot ball into empty net. They made it 4 - 0 before half time when their striker turned on the edge of the box and fired into the bottom corner.

The second half started with Tonyrefail looking to increase their lead, however they were not as threatening as they were in the first half. The game became a scrappy affair with neither keeper really being tested. Tonyrefail made it 5 - 0 inside the last 10 minutes when they were awarded a soft penalty which was powerfully struck into the back of the net.

Saturday 21st February 2014
LLANRUMNEY 1 - 0 STANLEYTOWN

Saturday 1st March 2014
MAX UTD 2 - 1 STANLEYTOWN
Jordan Westcott

Saturday 8th March 2014
GARW 4 - 1 STANLEYTOWN
Craig Williams

Saturday 15th March 2014
SPORTING MARVELS 2 - 1 STANLEYTOWN
Rob Evans (p)

Saturday 22nd March 2014
STANLEYTOWN 2 - 3 CADOXTON
Jonathan Welsh
Nathan Williams

Saturday 29th March 2014
TONGWYNLAIS 2 - 4 STANLEYTOWN
Jonathan Welsh
Rob Evans 2 (1p)
Craig Williams
Saturday 5th April 2014
STANLEYTOWN 4 - 1 LLANRUMNEY
Rob Evans
Ian Reed
Garry Edwards
Jonathan Welsh