Gwent County League

Division Three

TWO local clubs clash this Saturday eager to take three points that will lift them up the Division Three table, writes Bob Cypher.

Severn Tunnel and Underwood have suffered both home and away so the first derby between the teams could help to kick-start the season for one of them.

Tunnel are currently 12th in the 16-team division, one place and two points better off than Underwood, so three points will help to put breathing space between them and the drop zone.

And after both teams lost at home on Saturday, the pressure is on.

Underwood, who have suffered from the loss of a number of senior players, welcomed back Justin Bidgood and Kyle Brown against leaders Brynmawr, but their inclusion had little impact as the visitors stormed into a two-goal lead after 15 minutes and made it 4-0 by half time.

Although Alex Ryall cut the deficit after the break, Brynmawr grabbed their fifth to leave Underwood with one win and two draws in their seven matches and a goal difference of minus 16.

As Sean Johnson explained later, the younger players in the squad have found the pace and intensity in the GCL a lot faster and harder after the comparative comfort of the East Gwent League.

“The start of this season has been a massive learning curve, particularly for our younger players who have stepped up due to injuries and family commitments,” Johnson said.

“The dearth of experience at this level has been telling but it has been the nature of our performances rather than the results that has been frustrating.

“Despite the result, we felt we improved as a team and individually, with higher intensity and commitment for each other than in previous games.

“Individual mistakes cost us as we went into half time 4-0 down, but despite this we came out strongly for the second half and dictated the play.

“We pulled a goal back through Alex Ryall and we felt we had a chance to get back into the game, troubling the Brynmawr defence.

“After matching a top of the table team for the second 45 minutes (finishing 1-1) we have renewed confidence going into our derby clash with Severn Tunnel next week.”

Tunnel have two wins and one draw from their seven games with a minus five goal difference and they lost 3-1 at home to Ponthir at the weekend, Tom Atkins scoring their only goal.

They know that points on the board before Christmas can help when the season draws to a close with cancelled fixtures in the winter months likely to be played in midweek in the early Spring.

This can cause problems for clubs as players available on Saturdays may not be able to play on a Tuesday evening.