FLASHBACK – 20 YEARS AGO: Porthmadog defeat Airbus 3-1 in Welsh Premier League battle

VAUXHALL MASTERFIT WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE – DECEMBER 10, 2005

CPD Porthmadog 3 (L Davies 27, C Owen 58, 79)
Airbus UK 1 (Hussaney 85)

Report: Iwan Gareth (www.porthmadogfc.com)

In this week 20 years ago Porthmadog comfortably beat Airbus 3-1 at Y Traeth.
Port’s shaky performances earlier in the season seemed a distant memory, as the strike partnership of Carl Owen and Les Davies produced the goods once again.
The switch to the 4-4-2 formation seemed to have brought with it an improvement in Port’s fortunes.
The hosts had most of the early play, but failed to turn their possession into chances on goal.
For a while it looked as if Airbus would punish them for this failing as they had a five-minute period of pressure around the midway point of the half where the hosts struggled to clear their lines.
However, the onslaught was short-lived and on the break after 27 minutes striker Les Davies opened the scoring. He was put through on goal by a through ball, and after the keeper Adam McGhee got a hand to his initial shot, “The Truck” made no mistake from the rebound.
The main talking point of the first half came a few moments later when Carl Owen was hacked to the ground by a combination of McGhee and defender Gareth Sudlow.
However, the ref only saw fit to hand out a yellow card to Sudlow. From the resultant free kick, Rhys Roberts headed just wide following a Les Davies cross.

Half-time: Porthmadog 1 Airbus 0

Port came out in the second half hell-bent on adding to their score, and Carl Owen was desperately unlucky not to do just that when he chipped the ball over McGhee, but it rebounded off the bottom side of the bar.
This was followed by more pressure from Port, and it was no surprise when Carl Owen made it 2-0 on 58 minutes. Owen beat the Airbus offside trap and again chipped McGhee, before winning a race to the ball with the keeper and netting into the open goal.

After Port converted the second, the Wingmakers forced themselves back into the game.
Following a corner on 59 minutes there was a scramble in front of goal, but the home side somehow managed to clear. Gareth Owen created further danger for Airbus five minutes later with a run down the right. He crossed the ball back to Leigh Williams whose shot was headed off the line and scrambled clear for a corner.
Port rode this storm unscathed and on 79 minutes Carl Owen sealed a home win with his 10th goal of the season. Again he beat the Airbus offside trap and coolly slotted the ball home when he only had McGhee to beat.
Five minutes from time, James Hussaney netted for Airbus following another scramble in front of the Porthmadog goal. This was only a consolation as it came too late to bring the visitors back into the game.

Porthmadog: Richard Harvey, Rhys Roberts, Michael Foster, Ryan Davies, Lee Webber, Tony Williams (Gareth Caughter), Gareth Parry, Ritchie Owen, Danny Hughes, Carl Owen, Les Davies (Ywain Gwynedd).

Airbus: Adam McGhee, James Connelly, Leigh Williams, Steve Futcher, John Davies, Gareth Sudlow, Craig Jones, Gareth Owen, Kevin Leech (James Hussaney), James McIntosh, Dave Hughes (Dave Purcell).

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED THIS SEASON?

Porthmadog and Airbus met three times in 2005-06. Port won both league games, 3-1 home and 1-0 away, but Airbus triumphed 3-2 at Y Traeth in the Loosemores Cup.
In the Welsh Premier table, Port finished 11th and the Wingmakers 15th.