Monmouthshire Windows

East Gwent League, Division 2

SEVEN second-half goals handed Monmouth Town the Division 2 title at Chepstow Town on Saturday, writes Bob Cypher.

If there were nerves in a goalless first half, they soon disappeared as Monmouth skipper Larsson Brown helped himself to a fine hat-trick and Jacob Perrella scored his side’s 100th goal of the campaign to delight their supporters.

After the match the East Gwent League chairman Steve Matthews and secretary Brian Reed handed out individual medals to manager Paul Perrella and coach Richard Thorp before Brown and his teammates were soaked in bubbly as they lifted the trophy.

The late flurry of goals saved league officials Matthews and Reed from having to dash from Chepstow’s ground to Mill Lane in Caldicot where Sudbrook CC - who were second on goal difference and could have taken the title if Monmouth slipped up - were playing Raglan.

Sudbrook did all they could, winning 4-1, but it was to no avail.

After wiping some of the bubbly off himself, jubilant manager Paul Perrella paid tribute to his young players.

“The boys were all 16 or 17 years old at the start of the season and they lost four out of the first five games, but once they found their feet, they worked hard and I think, overall, they deserved to win the title,” he said.

“From then on we only lost once and we’ve scored a lot of goals - 103 to be exact.

“We’ve had some really tough games towards the end of the season and started picking up injuries so were grateful that we could call on some senior boys to help us out.

“The Chepstow game was an example of this. It was 0-0 with 30 minutes to go and I was fearing the worst, but we introduced some older players with fresh legs and they helped us get that first goal.

“After that the boys relaxed and the goals kept coming.

“We have one more cup final to look forward to - a very tough match against Thornwell on May 3rd.

“We would also like to thank all the teams and staff in the East Gwent League for making us feel welcome and look forward to playing in Division 1 next season."

Monmouth’s scorers were Elliott Ford (2), Larsson Brown (3), Jacob Perrella and Fin Thorp.