FOOTBALL ROUND-UP

HOLDERS Crannog reached the final of the Costcutter League Cup after pulling out the stops and emerging 3-1 winners over Cardigan Town in an entertaining semi-final at Lampeter.

The Llangrannog cup fighters, who beat Bargod Rangers in last season's final, will take on the winners of the other semi between Newcastle Emlyn and St Dogmaels at Lampeter tomorrow.

In a passionate contest Crannog just about deserved the ticket but were pushed hard by a full-of-fight Magpies outfit.

Skipper and midfielder Iestyn Evans went close for Cardigan early on but his effort rebounded from an upright before Crannog's leading marksman George Colven beat goalkeeper Carl Woodhouse to the ball and slotted home to give his side a solitary goal lead at the break.

Colven doubled the advantage after 53 minutes after the spadework was done by Gary Davies and although battling Cardigan halved the deficit through James Evans the coastal villagers booked their place in the final at Aberaeron on Easter Monday when Chris Welch netted from an acute angle.

Unbeaten leaders Llandysul continued their inexorable march to the title with an 8-1 win over young visitors Dewi Stars, the Swallow having netted 99 goals in 18 outings while conceding 13 – when Cardigan Town swept the board two seasons ago the Magpies conceded 15 during the season and that record is obviously under threat.

There is a growing belief among local followers that the present Llandysul squad is the strongest ever to represent the Teifi Valley community.

They have an abundance of pace and are strong all over the park, especially in midfield where Terry Maynard, Ian Barrett and Ben Thomas have been outstanding throughout the campaign.

Adrian Hazzelby is scoring goals for fun and added four to his tally against Stars while wing trickster Scott Thomas must still be wondering how he managed to fluff three golden opportunities that came his way.

The high-flyers got off to a flying start when taking the lead after barely a minute when Dean Jones converted a penalty awarded after Lewis Jones was brought down.

To their credit Stars hit back with an equaliser after 20 minutes but the homesters led 3-1 at the interval through goals by Dean Jones and Hazzelby.

The lively Hazzelby netted a further three after the break and substitute Mathew Newbold was also on target with home goalkeeper Jonathan Durbridge covering himself in glory with a penalty save that was right out of the top drawer.

If Llandysul beat Welshpool-based Waterloo Rovers at Victoria Park in Llanidloes tomorrow they will take on another Powys outfit Berriew Reserves in the J Emrys Morgan Cup final on Good Friday, April 14. In last week's first semi Berriew Reserves defeat Cambrian Tyres Aberystwyth League leaders Bont 2-0.

Cardigan Town recovered from the disappointment of being knocked out of the Easter Monday competition with a 4-1 win over Bargod Rangers on an extremely poor surface at King George V Playing Field making life difficult for both teams.

Afterwards there were those who said they wondered whether the grass would have been cut and pitch rolled two seasons ago when everything was rosy in the garden.

Ewan Jones netted twice for the Magpies and also missed a penalty while the other goals came via Neil Evans and Tom Gardner.

Aberaeron Reserves pulled clear of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win over visitors Cilgerran Rovers at Square Field where Ianto Evans was the home hero with two strikes.

It appears matters are going downhill at Lampeter where Town recently failed to raise a team for the visit to Newcastle Emlyn and their chance of finishing runners-up behind champions-elect Llandysul received another blow when held to a 2-2 draw at home by lowly Felinfach.

Construction work on a perimeter wall at School Field in St Dogmaels caused postponement of the Cwpan Coffa Dai Dynamo Davies quarter-final tie between Saints and Emlyn for safety reasons. It was the second time for the tie to be called off and it is now hoped to play on Saturday, April 1.

There was sadness in league circles after the death of Wyn Jones (Wyn Bach y Glo) who was a talented wing half with Llandysul for many years. He died peacefully in hospital aged 75 and before the start of the Llandysul versus Dewi Stars game on Saturday players, officials and supporters observed a minute's silence as a mark of respect.