Pressure point (From Free Press Series)

Pressure point

A DEPLETED Goytre squad travelled to mid-table Porth with just 12 men on Saturday but returned from Swansea with a well-earned point after being under pressure for long periods of the game.

Goytre were without Darren Haines, Andy Walsh, Kevin Berry and Luke Challenger; while in-form Joe Carlos was released to play for the Academy. Simon Ritter and Ian Rosser came into the starting side, while Adam Roberts came off the bench in the second half to score a fantastic equaliser.

Skipper Kevin Wallace opted to play against the wind and up Porth's slope for the first half, with the greasy pitch making conditions far from ideal. But it was the visitors who made the early running with last week's hat trick hero Mark Langford shooting over after a cross from Graham Mason.

As Porth settled down they put Goytre under sustained pressure, with winger John Noble causing problems down the left all afternoon. First he crossed for Mark Day - whose header was tipped around the post by Ryan Mackernass - then his resulting corner swung in the wind and struck an upright.

But at the other end, Mason almost broke the deadlock himself after a jinxing run but got the ball caught at his feet before he was able to line his shot up.

Goytre chairman Paul Greenhalgh later said: "Porth had the best of the first half, but we thought we'd done well against the wind to contain them." But Porth took the lead with the last kick of the first 45 when Goytre's Dean Taylor failed to clear a long ball up-field and Anthony Sully chipped Mackernass from 35 yards for 1-0.

Ten minutes after the re-start Roberts, having come on for the injured Simon Ritter, pulled Goytre level in spectacular fashion; picking up a half clearance and hammering it into the top corner.

Greenhalgh added: "After that we forced the pace. Steve Collett shot just wide and had another tipped around by Jarred Howells. But we had a real let off with 20 minutes to go."

Porth should have regained the lead on 70 minutes when another whipped-in Noble cross found Day, whose downward header this time bounced up onto the bar. Sully was first to the rebound, but Taylor atoned for his earlier error with a clearance off the line.

Porth continued to probe but failed to find a winner. And Greenhalgh concluded: "The spirit in our side as brilliant. We battled and battled and got the point."

Goytre return to Welsh League Division Three action tonight at home to West End (kick off 6.15pm), then host Penrhiwfer on Saturday.