TENBY 1st XI 2

CAMROSE 1

On Saturday that was as bright as any summer's day, the standard of football couldn't match the weather. With both teams eager for the victory, it was never going to be a laid back feast of football. Tenby were unhappy to drop points at home the previous week to a battling Merlins Bridge outfit and were not considering dropping any more on this occasion.

The game started with the home team playing towards the clubhouse and it was a fierce sun that shone into the eyes of the opponents.

The Seasiders got off to a good start, with the momentum of the game set to look like it would be a blistering half. Tenby had a number of very early chances and Camrose were lucky not be a goal down from the quicksilver strike force of McGlaughin and Lawrence.

However, against the run of play, Tenby's jet lagged, midweek break goalkeeper, pushed one of his clearance kicks into the path of a Camrose striker and he quite comfortably chipped the retreating Davis, much to the disappointment of what had been a hard-working home side.

It is always hard to go a goal down so early when things have been positive. Tenby knew what they had to do and they began to rebuild. Griffiths in the middle with on loan midfielder Phil Catlin started to put a foot on the ball and create things for their talented front-line.

It didn't take long for Scott McGlaughlin to make a break down the left-hand touchline and cross for Ryan Lawrence to fire home after some defensive hesitation.

The home side weren't happy with one and pressed for the second. It came via the boot of that boy Lawrence again after a deflection from the visitors' left back, this making it seven goals from six games.

Tenby have lacked a striker in the last few years and it would be nice to see someone hit the same amount of goals that players like Derek Glover used to get for the Seasiders.

The second half was lifeless and all felt that something was missing from the performance. In fact, you could have replaced anyone of the Tenby team with one of Dene Hurlow's goats and you probably wouldn't have noticed.

The back four was solid and it was nice to have the pace of the much-improved Dave Meyrick after a stint at an American soccer school (anyone wishing to hear about Dave's travels, please contact him at the Lifeboat Tavern where he is free to give informative talks about the country and its people).

There were positives to take from this game and no doubt the management will be discussing how to sustain the length of the fine football that was played at times.

Tomorrow (Saturday) sees the arrival of Fishguard Sports. They seem to be the whipping boys of the league at the moment. However, Tenby know all too well what can happen when you become over-confident, as Fishguard proved last year, giving the town side a costly defeat when it came to the final game of the season.

Once again thanks to Stuart Mckay for invaluable experience on the line.

Thanks also go to match ball sponsor, Alan, of the Five Arches Tavern, Tenby.

PRENDERGAST VILLA 3

TENBY AFC 2

Saturday saw a closely fought game between the two physical teams of the Reserve Division.

The Seasiders started strongly with a few long-range efforts from the midfield. Phil Spindlove cut inside from the right to provide a cross which James Brown fired just wide, resulting in a similar effort from Tom Davies, and a low driven shot from Nic Webster-Smith from the edge of the area, which forced the goalkeeper to stretch to his far post.

The Tenby defence looked strong for the remainder of the first-half, which led to a goal by influential right-back, Stuart McLaren, who showed shear class and looked head and shoulders above everybody else. The ball was picked up from a Tenby corner and resulted in a run which saw the Villa defence open up, allowing McLaren to pick his spot in the top corner of the goal and leaving the 'keeper no chance.

The end of the first-half saw 'The Face' use his big frame to pull off a Barthez-esque parry round the post.

The second-half saw a slower tempo to the game as the Seasiders dropped off the pace due to the influence of striker Tom Davies being substituted, which led to Tommy 'The Tool' James coming in at centre midfield and Nic Webster-Smith partnering James Brown up front.

Villa slotted away two close range efforts which nobody could have been blamed for, and an effort which was to be disputed was given as a third goal.

Crockford and Beare partnered on the line heroically, to deny Villa a goal as Evans was beaten in his own area.

The scoreline sunk in and the Seasiders piled a constant onslaught on the Villa goal, which saw Brown hit the bar, Spindlove fire just over, Horsely have a shot cleared off the line by 'Glenniss' and a close range effort from Webster-Smith blocked by the 'keeper.

Once the game had calmed down, Brown grabbed a late consolation goal, but it was too late for the Seasiders to pick up a well deserved point away from home.

Team: Ben Evans, Stuart McLaren, Mark James, Tony Beare, Peter Thomas, Ben Crockford, Peter Horsely, Phil Spindlove, Nic Webster-Smith, Tom Davies, James Brown, Tommy James.

TENBY U16s 3

CAMROSE U16s 1

The Tees-R-Us sponsored Tenby Under 16s secured all three points in this hard fought fixture, with both sides refusing to give an inch.

However, it was the visitors who stunned the Seasiders, when, with only two minutes on the clock Tenby failed to clear an innocuous corner and it was absolutely hammered into the back of the goal.

This did not deter the home side, who went all out in search of the equaliser, but with both defences standing firm, the remainder of the half was stalemate.

The second period saw Tenby step up a gear and they were rewarded when a cross to the near post, from Perry Broadhurst, was deftly headed down and slotted home by the alert Jack Christopher.

Christopher then doubled the red and blacks score with a well-taken shot and set the game alight, with Camrose now having to press for the equaliser. But Christopher's striking partner, Liam Robson, put the final nail in the visitors' coffin when he turned up at the far post to tap in.

Dai Davies was in fine form for Camrose, while Dan Cope was the pick of the home players.

Thanks to Angela Nicholls for refereeing.

Tenby team: L. Hurlow, M. Sofan, D. Taylor, D. Cope, S. Jenkins, P. Broadhurst, L. Wilson, D. Otton, M. Birch, L. Robson, J. Christopher, J. Worley, D. Rowell, B. Quartermaine.

KILGETTY U16s 0

TENBY U16s 5

Tenby Under 16s sponsored by Tees-R-Us played their last mid-week game of September when they travelled the short distance to Kilgetty. The much awaited game, between school friends, never really lived up to expectations and the driving rain throughout the first-half limited any skilful football to a minimum.

However, what the game lacked in skill it made up for in pride and honour. Neither side looked like scoring, with both defences seeming watertight, but an unfortunate mix-up between two Kilgetty defenders, on the half hour, let in Jack Christopher to place the ball wide of the home custodian, Adam Hughes.

Tenby exerted more pressure on the Kilgetty defence and were rewarded with a second goal, again from Christopher with a well placed header.

On the stroke of half-time, Liam Robson got his name on the scoresheet, claiming his 18th of the season.

The Seasiders took control in the second period without the distraction of the rain, which had stopped, and the help of the slight slope. But Kilgetty showed great resolve in defence, with James Nicholas, Ben Hughes and Hughes, in the home goal, thwarting Tenby's advances.

The visitors increased their lead further when a half-hit shot by captain Darren Taylor somehow found its way in to the back of the net through a crowded penalty box.

The last goal for the red and blacks was more clear cut when Lloyd Wilson hammered the ball into the roof of the net, from a cool 20 yards, following good play on the right by Sonny Phillips.

For Tenby, Sion Jenkins and Dan Cope were most prominent.

Tenby team: L. Hurlow, S. Jenkins, D. Taylor, D. Cope, M. Sofan, P. Broadhurst, L. Wilson, D. Otton, B. Quartermaine, L. Robson, J. Christopher, D. Rowell, S. Phillips, J. Worley.

TENBY U14s 5

CLARBESTON ROAD U14s 0

The Tenby and Saundersfoot Lions sponsored Tenby Under 14s kicked off this game in bright sunshine having got off to a somewhat shaky start to the season by their standards, despite having won their first three games.

There was a renewed urgency to their game, and with new captain Damian Walters leading from the back, Tenby soon went into an early lead after four minutes when Clem Boswell instinctively latched on to a poor clearance from the visiting custodian and clinically fired a sweet drive into the corner of the net.

The Tenby pressure continued throughout the half with all the boys encouraging each other determined to lay to rest the simmering bad vibes that had crept into the team over the past few weeks, and this they did with a fine footballing display.

Ashley Prior struck the bar and created numerous half chances, Ashley Murdoch was outstanding in defence and the whole team seemed to gel well as a unit from defence to attack.

The second-half started with Tenby continuing their assault on the visitors' goal, with Prior again striking the woodwork.

Tenby's second came when Jamie Robinson played the ball through to Prior who neatly played the ball across to his strike partner David Jones. Jones controlled the ball brilliantly and sweetly found the back of the net for number two.

Prior had another superb effort that went just wide of the post, and Matthew Jones showed his class with a lovely display of ball control, beating two men before unleashing a fierce drive that struck the crossbar.

Goal number three came when Walters picked up the ball 30 yards out, looked to make the pass forward with the visiting defence opened up expecting a through ball, and changed his mind, ran through the gap going for goal, only to be hacked down in the box by the pursuing defender. No hesitation from the referee who pointed to the penalty spot, and Walters finished off what he had started with a blockbuster into the roof of the net.

Matthew Jones continued to attack well with first of all a fine shot that just went wide, then he played a superb ball through to David Jones who made no mistake with his effort to make it 5-0 to Tenby.

This really was a fine display from the homesters with all the boys looking to pass the ball and play the ball out of defence through the midfield. Ben Messenger, Walters, David Saunders and Murdoch were strong in defence, with the resilient Danny Harries looking as safe as houses in goal. The hard working midfield of Matthew Fleming, Robinson, Boswell and Matthew Jones gelled very well together with lots of off the ball running and high work rate, getting back to help the defence, and at the same having the fitness to get up and support the attack.

Appreciation goes to the three subs, namely James Davies, Mark Davies and Tom Jones for their tremendous sporting attitude. Stay with it boys.

Well done Tenby, a fine team performance, four wins out of four, and the season starts now!

Grateful thanks to Darrel Edwards for stepping in at the last minute to expertly referee the game. This is much appreciated Darrel.

Tenby team: Danny Harries, David Saunders, Ben Messenger, Ashley Murdoch, Damian Walters (capt.), Matthew Fleming, Clem Boswell, Jamie Robinson, Matthew Jones, Ashley Prior, David Jones, Mark Davies, Tom Jones, James Davies.

MILFORD ATH U13s 2

TENBY U13s 2

Tenby Under 13s were given an early warning about complacency when they were playing down the slope and conceded a goal in the fifth minute.

Trailing 1-0 seemed to affect Tenby's confidence and some rather nervous attacks resulted in some near misses, and even the award of several direct free-kicks around the penalty area did not put the home goalkeeper under undue pressure.

Some misses at point blank range did not look quite so bad, when Aaron Goldsmith fired wide from the penalty spot, or when a goalbound shot from Sam Christopher hit the bar apparently crossing the line, but not being given. However, Guto Griffiths restored some faith in the attacking power of the Tenby team when he fired in a hard left foot shot to make the score 1-1 and give his team some reward.

Tenby got back into the game for the rest of the first-half with Scott Helmich, Jordan Lloyd, Joe Scourfield and Jamie Robins looking more confident in front of Richard Thomas who did not have a lot to do except to make some long clearances to his forwards, who only had the support of Gavin Kinsey who worked tirelessly on the left to keep possession and to work the ball into the Milford half of the pitch. Mikey Boswell also showed great willingness to support the front runners, but that important goal was all elusive.

Tenby's failure to get a healthy lead playing down the slope meant that they were going to have to work extra hard up the hill and they played with a greater sense of purpose in the second-half.

Their efforts were not helped when Milford went 2-1 ahead with a goal scored from a narrow angle against the run of play and Richard Thomas made a good save from a breakaway forward. This prompted a series of Tenby attacks which looked much more dangerous than in the first-half, and some dubious last ditch defending, particularly against the dangerous Guto Griffiths, made the Milford lead look very slender indeed.

Tenby's attempts to get their normal rhythm in the second-half, with Scott Helmich pushing up well with the attack, got their reward when Adam Johns fired in from the edge of the penalty area to bring a 2-2 scoreline which they deserved.

The last five minutes of the match saw both sides trying tentatively for the win, but Tenby got the draw on an off-form day, and they will have learned enough to improve their game for the matches against the stronger opposition that they can expect in the next few weeks.

Tenby squad: Richard Thomas, Gavin Kinsey, Joe Scourfield, Jordan Lloyd, Aaron Goldsmith (capt.), Scott Helmich, Jamie Robins, Guto Griffiths, Sam Christopher, Mikey Boswell, Adam Johns, Joe Lewis, Michael Hanningan, Joel Pendell.

Thanks to Nicky for running the line and to all the parents who provided transport.

MONKTON U12s 2

TENBY U12s 3

The Tenby Taxis sponsored Tenby under 12s travelled to Monkton for their third away game of the season, trying to keep up their 100 per cent record away from home.

The game started brightly, with both teams trying to get the upper hand, with the Tenby defence of Thomas Nash, William Hughes, James Howes and Thomas Griffin having a good bit of the early play; indeed, the defence were doing very well considering that two of them weren't playing in their usual positions.

Monkton did seem to be getting the better of the early play, with Tenby 'keeper Richard Bridges being tested quite a few times early in the game.

This did not last for too long, thank goodness, and the Tenby midfield of Chris Heesom, Kiefer Thomson, Toby Smith and Rhys Winter were now getting to grips with things and they soon started to pass the ball around well and feed good balls through to the two front men, namely Johnny Lammin and James Maxwell.

Unfortunately, Tenby could not seem to get the ball into the back of the net and chance after chance was going either just wide or saved by the Monkton 'keeper, who was doing his job admirably. He could not keep this up indefinitely, however, and after a good break down the right-hand side, the ball found its way to James Maxwell who coolly put it in the back of the net.

This seemed to spur the boys on and before long they had added another goal by Kiefer after good inter-play between Toby and Chris.

Monkton tried to get back into the game before the half-time whistle, but Tenby held firm and Monkton seemed to be getting frustrated.

The second half started just as the first had ended, with Tenby being able to control the Monkton attacks, but also being able to break forward and attack themselves. Indeed, this is how Tenby's third goal came about, with James Maxwell adding his second.

Tenby then decided to freshen up some of the players by bringing on Ben Edwards for Johnny and Robert Jones for Thomas Griffin. This seemed to be able to stem the attacks, but then disaster struck as Monkton got a goal back after some good passing of the ball.

This seemed to spur them on and Tenby seemed to lose their way a little. Monkton were able to add a second goal whilst Tenby were still trying to regain their formation after the first.

Tenby then tried to defend the lead that they had and after Richard in the Tenby goal picked up an injury there were a few scary moments, but the boys held on valiantly until the final whistle.

Thanks to Dai Merrick for running the line for Tenby in the absence of Brindley Hughes, who was delayed, and thanks to Monkton for giving a good game. The result lifts Tenby up to second in the league and only a point behind the leaders.

Tenby fielded: Richard Bridges, Thomas Nash, William Hughes, Thomas Griffin, Chris Heesom, Kiefer Thomson, Toby Smith, Rhys Winter, James Maxwell, Johnny Lammin, Ben Edwards and Robert Jones.

TENBY U10s 12

SAUNDERSFOOT U10s 1

The Rumbleway Caravan Park sponsored Tenby Under 10s entertained Saundersfoot at the Clicketts last Saturday, again bathed in glorious sunshine.

Tenby played some excellent football and credit must also go to the visitors, who never gave up and at the end scored a very good goal of their own.

Alex Heesom was Tenby's sharp shooter with a total of five goals, closely followed by Joe Koop with four. Curtis Hurlow and Gareth Warlow got one each, while Robert Fairlie got the last with an unstoppable shot.

Jake Roberts, in the home goal, made three excellent saves, while Greg Lees-Griffiths and the versatile Daniel Edwards defended well. Both Oliver Worley and Philip Horsley ran tirelessly, creating several goal opportunities for their strikers.

Thanks to Pete Horsley for refereeing.

Tenby team: J. Roberts, G. Lees-Griffiths, D. Edwards, R. Fairlie, C. Hurlow, P. Horsley, O. Worley, J. Koop, G. Warlow, A. Heesom.

HAKIN U10s 0

TENBY U10s 4

Tenby Under 10s, sponsored by Rumbleway Caravan Park, travelled to Hakin for their third game of the season.

Tenby made several changes for this game and provided Leo Moreland and Matthew Davie with their first games; both acquitted themselves very well.

The Seasiders went 2-0 up in the first-half thanks to goals from Joe Koop and Alex Heesom and collected another two in the second period courtesy of Ashley Smith and Koop again.

Thanks to all the parents for transport.

Tenby team: J. Roberts, L. Moreland, G. Lees-Griffiths, D. Edwards, C. Hurlow, M. Davie, O. Worley, A. Smith, J. Koop, A. Heesom.

NEYLAND LADIES 2

TENBY LADIES 2

Tenby Famous £ Shop Ladies took the initiative early in the match and the return to the attack of Michaela Bevan gave some hope for a first-half lead. So it proved to be in the 10th minute when Bevan beat three players in the middle of the home penalty area to place the ball in for a well worked goal.

The 1-0 lead seemed to bring some complacency to the Tenby defence as the speed and variation of the Neyland attack left Denise Powell exposed on at least three occasions when she made excellent diving saves to keep the visitors ahead.

Tenby struggled to find some passing rhythm, and as in earlier matches, several chances from crosses went begging to leave Neyland still in the game.

Neyland equalised after 20 minutes when Speedie left the defence stranded to fire an unstoppable shot past Denise Powell to bring the scores level.

Tenby's repeated attacks on the Neyland goal did not have the quality of finish to increase the score in a match where the goalkeepers looked very competent, and as neither team had enough ability to build pressure from the midfield, half-time arrived with the game looking very scrappy, with Tenby pressing for the win everyone, for some reason, expected them to get.

The second-half proceeded with Tenby playing up the slope and Cally Roberts and Hazel Sawyer looking sound at fullback, leaving Neyland with the only option of attacking through the middle. Generally, Imelde Rossi and Carrie Slack did enough to keep the danger well away from the goalmouth, but after a period of pressure when Denise Powell made some fine saves, the visiting goalkeeper took her eye off a simple shot to give Neyland a 2-1 lead which they scarcely deserved.

With 20 minutes remaining, Angela Nicholls replaced Ani Nicholls in midfield after an energetic performance, and Jackie Cadogan replaced the hard running Kayleigh Davies who had tried hard.

This change gave some fresh energy to the Tenby team who began to defend with more conviction and used this as the springboard for some much more dangerous attacks than had happened earlier in the game. Emma and Louise Cooper came into the game more and a further change when Louise Turberfield changed with Denise Powell made Tenby look a really determined outfit for the first time in the match.

Neyland were on the back foot for much of the last period of the game, and sheer tenacity in the tackle at the edge of the Neyland penalty area saw Denise Powell equalise with a lob over the home goalkeeper's head to give Tenby a chance of a share of the points.

As the final minutes ticked away, Tenby defended solidly and passed out of defence from Angela Nicholls and Carrie Slack to give Emma Cooper and Michaela Bevan the chance to run at a now very nervous Neyland defence.

Both teams seemed relieved when the final whistle went, in a game where fortunes changed rapidly, but the 2-2 result was fair reward for a battling Tenby display late in the game against a Neyland side which contained a couple of excellent players, including Sally James and Speedie who had played for Tenby during the past three seasons.

Tenby squad: Denise Powell, Cally Roberts, Carrie Slack, Imelde Rossi, Hazel Sawyer, Emma Cooper, Louise Cooper, Ani Nicholls, Kayleigh Davies, Angela Nicholls, Jackie Codogan, Louise Turberfield.