A rejuvenated Bluebirds side produced an exhilarating display of attacking football and Bridgend were lucky to leave the Meadow with merely the one-goal margin of defeat.

Mike Ellis and Wayne Jones started with nine players (as well  as three subs) who have been in the side from early season, plus the recently-signed Owain Thomas and a new signing on the night, the experienced striker Darren Griffiths, brother of Dale and son of ex-Bluebird Jeff Griffiths. The blend looked effective from the very first minute.

Keeper Craig Morris looked very secure as did the back three of Phil Cattlin, Gareth Elliott and the swashbuckling Dale Griffiths who, for a man with a bandaged head, won a tremendous amount of ball in the air as well as launching on several long runs upfield. Gary Taylor had a superb game in the centre of midfield, and was well flanked by Ricky Watts and Owain Thomas. Anton Owens looked dangerous and persistent out on the right and although the mercurial Richard Lewis didn’t have his best game it was once again his sharp finishing which settled the issue.

Darren Griffiths, paired as striker with Jamie Evans, looked a very good player indeed, exceptionally accurate with the ball in the build-up of attacks. Once he is fully match-fit and starts to find the back of the net he could be a real acquisition. in the first 20 minutes the Bridgend goal took a real hammering and on this occasion Griffiths and Evans were denied partly by the odd muffed finish, partly by simple bad luck
and partly by the goalkeeping, part-eccentric, part-inspired, of Marty Ellacott.

As the first half wore on, both Griffiths and Evans were again through in one-on-ones with the keeper, and both shot just wide, so the visitors’ goal survived the half. But Bridgend were very quick and dangerous on the break with ex-Port Talbot winger Drew Fahiya racing menacingly down the right. In the ten minutes before half-time two ex-Bluebirds, Mark Dodds and Danny Thomas, had chances to score but their efforts went wide.

The Bluebirds sustained the tempo as the second half started and a goal never seemed too far away. Two flowing five-man moves saw Griffiths and Evans just thwarted, before the winning goal came in the 62nd minute, after another bout of inter-passing ended with Taylor slipping the ball across the box for Lewis to hammer in left-footed.

In the last half-hour, after Owens had taken a knock and Darren Griffiths been rested, Nicky Woodrow and Jay Brockway came on as strikers but the pace never slackened, so that the expected Bridgend rally, when it came, ended with Fahiya unable to reach two chances at the far post and the home side otherwise very much in command.

County: Craig Morris, Ricky Watts, Phil Cattlin, Dale Griffiths, Gareth Elliott, Owain Thomas (Alex Squires, 84), Anton Owens (Nicky Woodrow, 60), Gary Taylor, Darren Griffiths (Jay Brockway, 73), Jamie Evans, Richard Lewis. 

A collection made at the ground for the Air Ambulance raised £84 and that organization is grateful to the club for letting them collect.