Merlins Bridge Under 14s 1 Drefach Under 14s 3
After seven weeks of non competitive football the Under 14s of Drefach had a West Wales Cup encounter playing for a quarter final spot away at Portfield Road.
On a frosty coated pitch the visitors looked like they hadn’t had a break, and flew out of the blocks.
It was a nervous start to the game, but the first 20 minutes favoured the visitors, who looked more at ease with the ball at their feet. They held their formation, taking early control of the game.
The defence of keeper Daniel Davies, skipper Tomas Bull, AJ, James and Harri Thomas were closing any attacks and linked superbly with midfield trio Jayden Davies, Dylan Rees and Lewis Thomas.
Personal battles were ironed out and Davies seemed to get a lot of the time on the ball. He was able to supply some great balls for wingmen Elliot Morgan and Ryan Roberts, who in turn linked well with striker Iwan Bull.
Drefach kept a high tempo and on the 26th minute the ball was cleared from home defensive corner only for J Davies to produce a 30 yard screamer into what the kids call “the top bin”.
This energised the visitors, who were now on top, however a lapse saw the home striker break through and sprint with the ball into the goal mouth, only to be denied by a superb tackle from T Bull.
With the visitors still on top, it was another home corner that saw Drefach’s second hit home by T Bull, who was looking the part.
Going into the interval 2-0 up Drefach started the second half string and were on the attack straight again with chances from Elliot Morgan, Ryan Roberts and Iwan Bull all coming close.
The physical battle in the middle went up a few notches and D Rees took no prisoners and was winning everything.
A great run from I Bull saw him get hacked down in the box and up stepped Davies who neatly placed the ball into the inside of the net and making it 3-0.
With 15 minutes left Drefach made five changes with appearances from Deacon Morris, Owain Jones, Steffan Rees, Charlie Thomas and Logan Jones who all slotted into their roles well.
The last 10 minutes were getting more serious and some testing challenges were being thrown at the visitors.
Avoiding any collisions Drefach seemed to manage the game well until a long range shot saw the home side close the gap to 3-1 with five minutes left.
After a blood injury they had to battle on to the end of the game with 10 players, but managed to secure the win and move into the quarter finals
Coach Carl Morgan expressed how happy he was with the performance and attitude of the Drefach players, who never gave up and played some real quality football.
With a bus full of travelling supporters and half the community of Drefach, this was a great day for the club.
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