Flashback – 15 years ago: Les Davies scores but Porthmadog should have won

CPD Porthmadog 1 (Les Davies 27)
Newtown 1 (Danny Barton 88)
Vauxhall Masterfit Welsh Premier – March 11, 2006

Danny Barton’s 88th minute header salvaged a point for Newtown in a game which Porthmadog should have had sewn up by half-time on this date 15 years ago.

No doubt the visitors were the happier of the two teams at the end with a valuable point secured in a mid-table tussle with Premier Cup places at stake.

Porthmadog dominated throughout the opening half and a single-goal advantage at the interval was scant reward for the all-out attacking which had the visitors defence at full stretch.

The one goal that came on 27 minutes was a true quality effort which showed Les Davies at his best.

The 21-year-old won the ball near halfway before using his pace to split open the Newtown defence and then from 18 yards drive a powerful low shot past keeper John Rowley.

For the next hour it appeared that this goal would be enough to secure the three points but it need not have been the case as Mike Foster and Danny Hughes opened up the visitors defence with a series of through passes for Davies and Carl Owen to run onto.

This duo was in top form and it is a mystery how the Newtown defence held out.

In the opening 15 minutes Ywain Gwynedd shot over the bar, Jason Sadler fired wide and then saw a header fly the wrong side of the upright.

After Porthmadog’s goal Owen cut past Mark Allen on the edge of the box, but a diving Rowley saved at his near post.
Paul Friel shot just beyond the crossbar after good work by Sadler.

Newtown rarely threatened apart from once when Richard Harvey dashed out to foil Matthew Lewis, who later screwed his shot well wide after good work on the left by Barton.

Half-time: Porthmadog 1 Newtown 0

Newtown began to make more progress in the home half after the turnaround and they were aided in this by Porthmadog’s rather tentative display in contrast to their earlier attacking play.

They defended deeply inviting the visitors to push forward instead of consolidating and looking for a second goal.

Harvey pulled off several good saves, but with only two minutes left Damien Daniels corner to the far post was headed in by Barton.

As they threw bodies forward after Newtown’s equaliser the home side showed what might have been when Gareth Caughter saw a cracking, added time shot brilliantly touched onto the bar by Rowley.

Porthmadog: Richard Harvey, John G Jones, Lee Webber, Rhys Roberts, Mike Foster: Ywain Gwynedd (Iwan Thomas 73), Danny Hughes, Paul Friel (Geraint Mitchell 90), Les Davies: Carl Owen, Jason Sadler (Gareth Caughter 60).

Newtown: John Rowley, Craig Williams (Sam Pickup 88), Damien Daniels, Glen Evans (Dan Desmoreaux 46), Mark Allen, Adrian Moody, Gareth Hughes, Alan Hooley, Matthew Lewis, Danny Barton, David Watkins.

Attendance 166

Many thanks to Gareth Williams for report and Iwan Gareth and Emyr Gareth for photos