Third Division Risca Town offered stubborn enough resistance for the first hour, but well before the end the Blues had merited a solid win, with all four goals coming from strikers.

Much of the early interest was in the club’s newer signings, with a performance to warm to from midfielder Gary Taylor, signed from Pontardawe. Playing just in front of the back three, Taylor looked sharp and fluent. Left back David Evans and left-sided midfielder Richard Lewis, a likely replacement for the injured Lee Hudgell, both looked sound and as the first half wore on, and Lewis grew more venturesome, he was able to get behind the Risca defence and send over one scorching cross.

Goalkeeper Martin Langdon coped with all that was thrown at him and early in the second half it was his fine save from Robert Aldridge which helped turn the tide against the visitors. Striker Richard Ryan, the Welsh League’s top scorer last season with 29 for Bridgend, showed both guile and industry and deserved his two goals.

The one first half goal followed a free kick on the edge of the area, when Lewis stepped over the ball, O’Sullivan’s drive was parried by the keeper and Ryan was the quickest to react. Nicky Woodrow, running as hard as ever and winning a lot of ball in the air, threatened several times, but it was still one-nil at half-time.

After their seven half-time substitutions, the Blues looked somewhat disorganized for the first ten minutes after the break and Risca deserved their 55th minute equalizer, driven in from the corner of the area by ex-Bluebird Paul Michael.

Then, in the 57th minute Langdon’s fine save denied Risca a 2-1 lead and from then on the Bluebirds were on top. Taylor now started to spread the ball long and wide from deep positions on the right, reserve strikers Luke Robinson and Jay Brockway stared to harry and O’Sullivan, moved out to the left wing, really began to sparkle. There were also convincing performances from the re-signed Phil Cattlin and Simon Gilderdale and a strong and impressive hour from Ricky Watts in a forward midfield role.

The game was convincingly rounded off between the 70th and 90th minutes when, in each case, a ball from deep positions, from Gilderdale, Watts and O’Sullivan, found a striker in the box and Robinson, Brockway and Ryan finished coolly.
 
Next Saturday, July 23rd, the Blues entertain Port Talbot (note kick-off 3 pm), and on Tuesday 26th July, they play a Cardiff City side, kick-off 7.30.

County: Martin Langdon; Kristian Griffiths (Phil Cattlin), David Evans (Simon Gilderdale), Gary Taylor, Gareth Elliott, Anton Owens (Matthew Ellis), Chris O’Sullivan, Ricky Watts (Adey Galdo), Richard Ryan (Luke Robinson), Nicky Woodrow (Jay Brockway), Richard Lewis (Adey Squires).