FLASHBACK – 20 YEARS AGO: Five-goal win turns the tide for Porthmadog

Vauxhall Masterfit Welsh Premier – January 14, 2006

Porthmadog 5 (Caughter 41, Roberts OG 43, Webber 46, R Roberts 60, Owen 68)
Elements Cefn Druids 0

Report: Gareth Williams – http://www.porthmadogfc.com

On this weekend 20 years ago Porthmadog ended a four-match losing run – including a 7-0 caning at The New Saints seven days earlier – in some style with a 5-0 drubbing of Cefn Druids at Y Traeth.
While Druids were bottom of the Welsh Premier entering this game, they had drawn three of their last six encounters and the other three were only lost by the odd goal.
The game was decided during a five-minute period either side of half-time when the home side scored on three occasions.
The first came after 41 minutes following a period of Port pressure. Druids keeper Phil Cross came out well to block Carl Owen’s shot but the ball only went as far as Gareth Caughter whose well judged 15 yard looping header found the net.
Within two minutes Mike Foster’s excellent flighted corner troubled the Druids defence and Gareth Roberts’ header ended up in his own net.
The Druids could count themselves unlucky to be two goals down at the interval as they had looked the more likely to score and held the edge for most of the first half.
The second half was only a minute old when Lee Webber took advantage of some slack defence to turn Foster’s penetrating free kick over keeper Cross for Port’s third goal.

Cefn did not crumble and threw themselves into vigorous attack, forcing Richard Harvey to produce a good save from Paul McDonnell’s flick.
On the hour mark yet another Foster free-kick opened up the visitors defence and following a succession of headers in and around the box Rhys Roberts matched his fellow centre back and scored the fourth with a lob from 12 yards.
Eight minutes later and Port had more than sealed the game when it was that man Foster again who started the move emphasising the influence he had on this game. This time it was with a well directed pass from midfield enabling Les Davies to head into space for the hard-working Carl Owen to run on and score his 10th Welsh Premier goal of the season with a low shot from 15 yards.

Porthmadog: Richard Harvey: Geraint Mitchell (Jon P Jones 81), Lee Webber (Richie Owen 77), Rhys Roberts, Mike Foster: Ywain Gwynedd (Tony Williams 73), Gareth Parry, Danny Hughes, Gareth Caughter: Carl Owen, Les Davies.

Cefn Druids: Phil Cross, Gareth Barton, Chris Roberts, Gareth Roberts, Aled Rowlands, Andrew Edgar, Osian Jones, Paul Mazzarella (Ian Williams 62), Kevin Leech (Darren Williams 51), Mike Heverin, Paul McDonnell (Mark Hobson 65).

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED THAT SEASON?

• Porthmadog were held 1-1 at Druids early in the 2005-06 season
  

• At the end of the campaign, Port occupied 11th place and Druids finished 14th