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NEWI Cefn
Druids 4 - 2 Welshpool Town
Druids' top scorer
Aden Shannon bagged all 4 goals as the Ancients tore apart
their local rivals Welshpool Town at Plaskynaston Lane.
Despite poor playing
conditions, the home side more than entertained the
Plaskynaston faithful, and were well worth the 3 points
against a lacklustre Welshpool team. Druids were first to
every ball, and it took Shannon just 9 minutes to open his
account with a fine volley from outside the area, which
bounced over the diving arm of 'Pool keeper Goodwin.
Druids continued
to dominate, and 10 minutes later, Shannon picked up a lose
ball in the box, turned and fired into the top left hand
corner of the net. It was now backs to the wall for Welshpool,
and when Dan Desmoreaux was flattened in the box by some
over-keen defending, referee S.Jones made one of his better
decisions in the game and awarded Druids a penalty, which
Shannon empathically struck home to secure his hat-trick and
the matchball before the end of the first half.
Russel Cadwallader
could not have been a happy man at half time, and his riot act
at least prompted an improvement at the start of the 2nd half.
Immediately from kick off, ex-Druids striker Steve Rogers,
rounded keeper Price, but his weak shot was cleared off the
line by the covering Aled Rowlands. However, Druids' narrow
escape did not last long, as Welshpool were awarded a bizzare
penalty from the increasingly infuriating and inept S Jones,
which ex-Druids starlet Craig Wilkinson calmy slotted home.
The game became
increasingly firey and tempers boiled over on 58 minutes when
a centre-circle scramble led to a brawl which saw the
dismissals of Druids' defender Cunnah and Pool's Cookson.
After putting his cards away, referee Jones then decided to
consult his assistant over the decision he had already
undertook.
The home side reacted
better to the sendings off, and increased their lead on 67
minutes when Shannon was found unmarked at the near post, from
where he unleashed an unstoppable half volley past the hapless
Goodwin to score his 16th league goal of the season, putting
him in joint 2nd place in the league's top scorer charts,
equal with Aberystwyth's Marc Lloyd-Williams
Druids had several
more chances to add a 5th even after Shannon's substitution
but it was the visitors who gained a late consolation through
Christian Courtney's injury time volley.
In conclusion, Druids
boss Steve O'Shaughnessy, who had to watch the match from the
stand due to a touchline ban, can be very pleased with not
only the 3 points, but the way his team achieved them. He now
only needs to his player's to re-create this kind of
performance consistently - and keep hold of star striker Aden
Shannon - and we could well see the Ancient launch a Premier
Cup surge.
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