CROSS Keys captain Leon Andrews has called on his troops to up their game for their Christmas derby with Newport after they were well beaten away at champions Pontypridd.

They were certainly as second best as the 27-10 score would suggest against the Principality Premiership leaders who are now nine wins from nine in the league.

Keys have started to fall well behind the chasing pack and they simply have to beat the Black and Ambers at Pandy Park on Saturday to get back in the race.

They were left to rue their indiscipline after Ponty scored 17 points when the visitors were reduced to 14 men after losing openside Scott Matthews to the sin bin in the first half, while blindside Reuben Tucker got his marching orders with a quarter of an hour to go.

This encounter was far from a classic, peppered with a litany of handling and unenforced errors which stopped the game flowing.

Keys skipper and centre Andrews said they have to improve with their big rivals from Rodney Parade looking to bounce back from an embarrassing 35-6 defeat away at Llandovery.

“I am bitterly disappointed,” he said. “We looked really rusty out there. Saying that, we did create a number of chances, but we just couldn’t finish them off, while they were a bit lucky with some of their tries.

“I thought we had them in trouble at times and they often looked quite predictable.

“We made far too many basic errors and we’ll need to put things right for the visit of Newport next week which is a huge game for us.”

Pony started well and went 3-0 up after outside half Lewis K Williams kicked an easy penalty before Keys full back Angus O’Brien made no mistake with a fairly straight forward effort to bring the sides level after 14 minutes.

Keys grew into the game as the half progressed but couldn’t make some good passages of play count on the scoreboard.

All their promising work was undone in the 27th minute when Matthews was yellow carded for using his hand in a ruck.

Ponty made them pay immediately when his opposite number, up and coming Cardiff Blues and Wales Under-20s flanker Ellis Jenkins crossed for a converted try from a driving lineout.

And it was Jenkins who was a thorn in their side again when his lovely chip over the Keys defence saw centre Garyn Smith bag his side’s second converted try.

Keys No 10 Ethan Davies celebrated his debut for Keys, after signing from Ebbw Vale at the end of the week, with a try that came out of the blue as Ponty looked to run away with the game.

He charged down his opposite number Lewis K Williams’ kick to run in a lucky score from near halfway while O’Brien’s excellent conversion saw the sides go into half time with the score at 17-10 with the very last movement of the game.

The match meandered somewhat after the break and Keys again proved to be their own worst enemy when Matthews struck an opponent when his side had won a penalty which could have seen them deep in the Ponty half.

As it was, he was lucky to stay on the field and the penalty was reversed as the hosts then dominated the last quarter.

Keys were a man short in the 65th minute when blindside flanker Reuben Tucker was needlessly yellow carded for playing the ball in an offside position in front of his posts.

Lewis K Williams made no mistake as he stretched his side’s lead to 20-10 with the penalty.

Ponty put the game to bed when they scored a superb try through slick running and handling from their backs, full back Aled Summerhill crossing for his side’s third converted touchdown.

They went in search of a fourth bonus point try but Keys held out.

Pontypridd: A Summerhill, C Clayton, G Smith (D Lockyer 65), G Dacey (capt), O Jenkins (G Walsh 71), L K Williams (S Humberstone 67), L Williams, C Phillips (B Thyer 70), H Dowden (A Morris 70), D Lewis (P Palmer 66), C Locke, A Jones (J Sieniawski 70), L Crocker (T Hetherington 70), E Jenkins, O Sheppeard.

Pontypridd scorers: Tries – Jenkins (27), Smith (38), Summerhill (70), Conversions – L K Williams (27), (38), Humberstone (70), Penalties – L K Williams (6) (65).

Cross Keys: A O’Brien, N Williams (E Jones 66), L Andrews (capt), P Uhi, N Trowbridge, E Davies, J Leadbeater (R Dyer 66), R Cornock (L Garrett 51), J Howard (D Hughes 51), A Lott (C Gould 71), S Williams (D Hodge 51), T Lampard, R Tucker (J Skinner 75), S Matthews, A Powell.

Replacement: R Lee.

Cross Keys scorers: Tries – Davies (40), Conversions – O’Brien (40), Penalties – O’Brien (14).

Referee: Gwyn Morris (Cardiff)