This was a brisk and well-deserved win for the Bluebirds, with three fine goals and a series of nicely-worked attacks leaving Cwmaman barely able to manage a real shot on goal. 
      With the mid-week departures of Craig Morris and Gary Taylor, we saw a slightly re-shuffled Blues side, with Mike Ellis and Wayne Jones reverting to a 4-4-2 formation, with ex-Lido player Declan John at right back and Dave Evans returning on the left. Ricky Watts was left with the role of midfield playmaker, and in this position he had a very good game indeed, being extremely well supported by the industrious Owen Thomas. Martin Langdon returned between the sticks, although he will be competing for this position from next Saturday with the returning Peter Blain.
      This new formation looked extremely sharp. For most of the first half, apart from just one woolly patch around the half-hour, the home team were slicing through the Institute defence, with Watts setting up a lot, and left flanker Richard Lewis, who seems to play well with Evans in tandem on the left, getting to the by-line four times to drive crosses dangerously across the Cwmaman six-yard line.
      Cwmaman’s main answer to this seemed to be their offside trap, which the Bluebirds sprang decisively in the 14th and 34th minutes, on each occasion after a through ball from Watts left them exposed. First Nicky Woodrow and then Darren Griffiths darted on to the ball to drive in powerfully.
      Meanwhile, the Institute side buzzed around energetically enough, with ex-Bluebird Jarrod Price a dangerous midfielder, but the home side’s defence, with Phil Cattlin and Dale Griffiths totally composed, almost always kept them outside the penalty area. The only lapse came in the 44th minute when Woodrow’s clumsy challenge conceded a penalty with which Price gave Langdon no chance.
      But the Blues started the second half as assertively as they’d played during the first and the third goal was deserved. It came following a lovely sweeping triangle when Woodrow’s ball from the half way line sent Anton Owens racing down the right. He squared to Griffiths for the rangy striker to drive home his second goal of the game, and his fifth in three games.
      Just six minutes later Griffiths took a heavy knock in a collision with Institute keeper Ryan Griffiths. He played on for ten minutes but appeared shaken and the Blues brought on all their subs, including Jay Brockway as striker and the returning Chris O’Sullivan in midfield. The re-shuffled pack lacked a little of the earlier sharpness. As Cwmaman tried to get something back, they tended to distract themselves with a degree of niggle and argument, so that the counter-attack they needed never really happened, and the Bluebirds were left with a decisive victory.
      The sides were grateful to local refereeing team Dave Badger, Gareth Elliott and Pedr McMullen, who took over the fixture at very short notice.
      The Blues are home again next Saturday, when they play Pontardawe, kick-off 2 pm.

County: Martin Langdon, Declan John (Gareth Elliott, 75), Dave Evans (Chris O’Sullivan, 75). Dale Griffiths, Phil Cattlin, Owen Thomas, Anton Owens, Ricky Watts, Richard Lewis, Nicky Woodrow, Darren Griffiths (Jay Brockway, 83).