SEASIDERS IN THREE OR FOUR–WAY FIGHT FOR PROMOTION
A short month ago it all seemed so simple for the Seasiders. They’d just seen off their nearest rivals St.Peters and were fully ten points clear of Tylorstown in third place. Surely it was just a matter of keeping their nerve and picking up the championship sometime in early April.
Four weeks later Penarth still lead the table by four points, but the promotion race has changed out of all recognition after they collected three points out of a possible ten in a home defeat against Llanishen and a depressing draw away at Heol-y-Cyw.
In the meantime, Tylorstown have moved into second place with a game in hand on the Seasiders, while Aberdare are coming up on the rails and can look forward to a number of fixtures against the top three before the end of the season.
What this means is that Penarth now need an early return to the form that saw them win 11 consecutive league games between September and February. The late postponement of the rearranged fixture up at Tylorstown last Friday means that both clubs live to fight again another day, but it’s definitely a four-horse race.
That’s not to say that it’ll stay that way for long, as Aberdare need to actually win their games against the top three to make an impact.
However, it’ll all be over in five weeks, so we can look forward to a roller-coaster ride and no-one can afford to blink from now on.
Next up for the Seasiders is a trip to Brecon this coming Saturday and while a repeat of the 24-15 score-line at the Athletic Field back in October would be welcome, five points would be even better. The problem is that the hosts haven’t shown any inclination to ship a lot of points so far and boast a positive points difference despite having lost 9 of their 15 games.
Penarth still hold all the aces, as points in the bag are not to be sneezed at in such a tight race. Admittedly, St.Peters’ away fixture against bottom club Llandaff won’t cause them much lost sleep, but Tylorstown’s trip Llanishen is far from an away banker. Aberdare are at home to Treherbert, but the Cynon Valley club’s key fixtures come in mid-April, starting with the Seasiders’ visit on the 10th.
At least Penarth still hold their fate in their own hands and can yet claim the championship by winning their own games without depending on anyone else’s results. Starting at Brecon on Saturday.