Abernant Rovers 5th friendly of the season was against a well organised Perthcelyn team who liked to play their football, so it was a good test for the Nant.
The game started at a high tempo with both teams probing each others defence, with both teams looking to open the scoring, but it was the Nant who came the closest in the opening exchanges with some patient play ending up with Michael Chorkley squeezing a shot away, with it going just wide, both teams looked to play the ball across the field and it was the visitors who opened their account first with a passage of play starting from their keeper culminating with a neat back heel through to their forward who broke away, and shot a rasping low shot wide of the home teams keeper, 0-1 to the visitors,
That was the wake up call the home team needed and it wasn’t long before they equalised, Darren Blandon picked the ball up at the half way line, and threaded a great ball to Mark Wheeler on the wing who beat their fullback and crossed the ball into the oppositions box only for the away teams defender to handle it, leaving the referee no option but to give a penalty, which Karl Williams dually took and scored, which made 1-1.
The game continued at a frantic pace with both teams looking to capitalise on their chances and it was the away team who scored next with some excellent passing starting from the fullback and eventually finding the feet of the target man up front who shot form 10 yards which evaded the despairing dive of the home teams keeper 1-2 to the away team,
The home team looked to press for the remainder of the half to get the equaliser, with the away team looking to counter on the break which they dually did, some neat football in the middle of the park culminated in the away team taking a 1-3 score line into the half time.
The home team made a few positional changes going into the second half looking to get them selves back into the game, with the opening exchanges going the way of the ever increasingly dominant home team, and on the 53rd minute the goal came when the ball was played from the outstanding Darren Blandon to the feet of mark wheeler who had the legs on the away teams full back, he took the ball into the away teams box and from a tight angle blasted the ball into the top corner to make it 2-3.
The home team were in the driving seat, with one way traffic, with the away team beginning to wilt under the constant pressure of the home team, which paid of on the 67th minute with Michael Chorkley beating the away teams offside trap to get into the away teams box and crossing a low powerful drive only for it to take a slight deflection of the away teams centre half and for the ball to end up in the back of the net 3-3.
The last 20 minutes started to get feisty, with the tackles flying in from the away team as they started to look ragged under the constant pressure from the home team, which spilled over from a miss timed jump from Craig Stonelake, which the away team overly reacting to, which culminated in one of their players being sent of for raising his hands towards one of the home teams players leaving the ref no option but to send him off.
It was one way traffic for the remaining quarter with the home team looking for the winner which came on the 75th minute, from a free kick just outside the away teams box, David Day lined up the ball with the away team expecting a strike on goal only for him to play a superb ball over the away team defence to find Gary Owen who swivelled around in the box and lifted the ball up and over the away teams keeper 4-3 to the home team.
The home team created several more chances in the last quarter but the score finished 4 - 3 to the home team.
This game was played well by the Nant, who even going behind never gave up till the final whistle, which just shows the pre season training is working, we finished the game well with the away team really never threatening in the second half and the result could have been 7,8 - 3 to the good, so chances are being created, just need to be little bit tighter at the back.
Next game is against Wellfield AFC IN Llanelli 2pm kick off AWAY
