West Wales Intermediate Cup – Round 4

 

St Clears 1 - Loughor Rovers 1 - (St Clears win 3-2 on penalties)

 
So, after two goals, 120 minutes, and ten penalties in the howling wind, the West Wales Cup dream goes on for St Clears, writes Fraser Watson.
 
In the last round, it had been West Wales Premier side Evans and Williams who had come to the Community Fields and lost, and yesterday Carmarthenshire League top-flight side Loughor Rovers suffered the same fate after Andrew Burt's spot kick sailed wide to end a dramatic shootout.
 
It had been Burt whose early goal had given the visitors the lead, but after Nico Setaro levelled matters in the second half, somehow there was no further scoring in a tie that went the distance for the large crowd present.
 
That was due in main to Loughor bringing a busload down, and trying their best to be raucous, they were given something to cheer just seven minutes in.
 

Good start for Loughor

 
The visitors kicked off with strong gusts behind them and the conditions soon paid dividends, with Burt's in-swinging corner pushed into the top of his own net by home keeper Jason Jones.
 
From that moment, they sought to test Jones at every opportunity and Jordan Smyth fired inches over from long range, before Chris Corteen's 35-yard free kick crashed against the bar.
 
Skipper Michael Grimwade was also denied in a goalmouth scramble as The Saints, for whom player-coach Nick Squire headed over, withstood the pressure to trail just 1-0 at the break.
 
And sure enough, the momentum changed after the break as Kyran Lewis stabbed over and Will Evans flashed a shot wide, before the big moment came 59 minutes in.
 

Setaro levels matters

 
Lewis had a low free-kick well saved by Kyle Tucker, but the rebound eventually ended up at the feet of Setaro and the midfielder drove a shot home from the edge of the area.
 
More chances came as Josh Jones went clean through but placed his shot wide of the far post, while Ashley Williams had an effort saved by Tucker before Jones swung a corner onto the bar.
 
An extra 30 minutes still couldn't yield a winner, with Will Evans getting in behind the Loughor defence being thwarted by Tucker and Williams blasting just over - while at the other end the hosts were indebted to Dorian Davies' goal-line clearance.
 

Dramatic shootout

 
The shootout wasn't short of twists as things stood at 2-2 after four each, with Evans and keeper Jones converting for St Clears, but Steve Thomas and Lewis seeing their efforts saved.
 
For Loughor, Grimwade and Cameron Saunders found the target, while Davie McKewan and Joshua Harwood didn't.
 
It was Davies who then put The Saints on match-point when he netted the fifth, before Burt's miss prompted a pile-on amongst the home players as they again defied their Division Two status, joining Hakin United as Pembrokeshire's last two representatives in the last eight.
 
Squire's side had entered the field at 1.30pm to a chorus of "St Clears get battered everywhere they go."
 
The problem for Loughor, was yesterday they didn't have to go anywhere.
 
And so far in this West Wales Cup, for The Saints, there's been no place like home.
 
St Clears: Jason Jones, Danny Peters, David Brychan, Martin Thomas, Nick Squire, Will Evans, Kyran Lewis, Josh Jones (Dorian Davies 88), Ashley Williams, Nico Setaro, Steve Thomas. Sub not used: Jason Baxter.