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Sgorio stalemate
Cefn Druids 0
Carmarthen Town 0
Cefn Druids and Carmarthen Town brought Phase One of the Dafabet Welsh Premier League to an end by playing out a goalless draw in front of the live Sgorio cameras.
Clear cut chances were at a premium as neither goalkeeper was forced into any serious action at The Rock.
Druids made two changes from the side that won at Aberystwyth Town with goalkeeper Michael Jones restored to the starting line up in place of Filippo Mosetti Caseretto, who dropped to the bench, and Ashley Ruane made his second debut after completing his move from gap Connah’s Quay.
The visitors immediately went on the front foot as Druids found themselves camped inside their own final third, struggling to clear the ball to launch an attack.
But The Ancients did get the opportunity to do just that in the fifth minute when Mike Pritchard released Steve Blenkinsop down the right.
The striker’s low cross was run on to by Stuart Cook who took the ball on to the edge of the six yard box. He then played in Ruane, but he and Blenkinsop ended up leaving the ball for each other, allowing Carmarthen to clear.
In the 11th minute Cook came close to giving Druids the lead when he won the ball on the edge of the D and created space for himself to get a shot away. The effort took a deflection and Lee Idzi in the visiting goal had to get down low to tip the ball away for a corner.
Declan Carroll decided to try his luck from distance for The Old Gold in the 24th minute after spotting Jones off his line. His effort, however, drifted wide of the goal.
Idzi was fortunate not to concede an own goal in the 28th minute when his attempted clearing punch from Corey Roper’s corner went narrowly wide of his far post.
Carmarthen’s best chance of the half came in the 35th minute when Mark Jones was played in on the edge of the Druids penalty area, but his shot was slightly deflected taking it wide of Michael Jones’ far post. From the resulting corner Michael Jones denied Mark Jones by palming his head behind.
Cook fired wide in the 54th minute before Kyle Bassett had a shot deflected wide a minute later.
Jones and Nathan Peate, who was making his home debut, had to combine to snuff out the threat of a through ball from the visitors that gave them a one-on-one situation. The goalkeeper and defender did enough to win a goal kick.
Idzi had to be on alert in the 62nd minute when Naim Arsan’s cross from the right looked like it might be dipping in under the bar. The goalkeeper made sure he was in charge of the situation by tipping the ball over.
Carmarthen thought they had a golden chance to take the lead when a cross from the left was met on the slide with only Jones to beat. The ball went wide, but the attempt turned out to be in vain as the assistant referee’s flag was raised for offside.
Both sides continued to seek a way to unlock the game, but the defences remained resolute and the match petered out into the eventual goalless draw.
Cefn Druids: Michael Jones, Adam Hesp (Kyle Parle 82), Matthew Eckersley (Jordan Barrow 50), Stuart Cook, Steve Blenkinsop, Michael Pritchard, Nathan Peate, Naim Arsan, Fisnik Hajdari, Corey Roper, Ashley Ruane. Substitutes not used: Adam Eden, Jordan Harper, Filippo Casaretto. Booked: Eckersley 39.
Carmarthen Town: Lee Idzi, Daniel Sheehan, Craig Hanford, Lee Surman, Dwaine Bailey, Kyle Bassett, Ceri Morgan, Kieran Lewis, Declan Carroll, Liam Thomas (Matthew Thomas 88), Mark Jones (Liam Griffiths 90+5). Substitutes not used: Lewis Harling, Jordan Knott, Danny Thomas. Booked: Carroll 32, Bassett 71.
Attendance: 194. Referee: Richard Harrington.
