Charlton Athletic 2 v 1 Barnsley

Saturday 6th April 2024, Kick-off 15.00

EFL League One

The Valley, Charlton

Admission: Season Ticket

Programme: £3.50

Attendance: 13,266 (1,012 away)

A match report can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below

Brief video highlights can be viewed by clicking here

Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 2-1 Barnsley

An entertaining match at The Valley helped the Addicks see off lingering fears of a humiliating resignation from League One. KEVIN NOLAN pays tribute to the man behind the turnaround.

An irresistible combination of hard toil, team spirit and occasional brilliance saw Charlton burst through the 50-point barrier popularly accepted as a guarantee against relegation from League One.

A heady performance stunned promotion play-off probables Barnsley, who arrived in SE7 boasting a scarcely believable away record that had seen them beaten only once, the solitary reverse being at Derby back in November.

No doubt expecting to brush the Addicks aside, Barnsley walked into a buzzsaw of a home side in which every starter and four effective substitutes distinguished themselves. In front of an appreciative crowd, the Addicks, to a man, chased every cause, however lost it seemed, and drove their elegant visitors to distraction. 

To their credit, the Tykes stayed in the game and were always in contention. But this was Charlton’s day and anything but victory would have been a travesty. 

Having paid tribute to the corporate effort on show, singling out individuals for praise might seem invidious but there were several undeniably outstanding contributions which went over and above what was required. In Michael Hector, George Dobson and Alfie May, Charlton were well served by an impressive spine — the essential basis of every successful football team.

There was a time earlier in this depressing season when the experienced Michael Hector appeared to lose his way. Unnerved, perhaps, by the regular errors made by his teammates, he suffered a crisis of confidence and came in for more than his fair share of criticism.

Under Nathan Jones’ stewardship, he has shown the leadership of which he was always capable. Firm in the tackle, commanding in the air and ruthless when required, against Barnsley the big centre-half displayed all the defensive talents for which he was recruited.

In the centre of midfield and indeed wherever else he was needed, George Dobson was a tower of strength.  Like Hector, he has weathered brickbats from a corps of fans who simply don’t “get” him, but he was a force of nature in this taming of the Tykes. His tackle count was phenomenal, his distribution all but faultless. He is simply incapable of anything but 100 per-cent effort. Plus he can play a bit.

Leading Charlton’s attack was the inimitable Alfie May, who began this game with 21 league goals from 38 appearances. 

By the time referee Benjamin Speedie called a halt to eight interminable added minutes, May had added two more to that total. Unfortunately, he had already been replaced by Tyreece Campbell and was unavailable to take the penalty awarded when goalkeeper Liam Roberts clumsily hacked down young Campbell. Chuks Aneke took over spotkick duties and was thwarted by Roberts. 

May had done the damage by then with a pair of superb first-half strikes, but richly deserved his first hat-trick for the Addicks. 

Aneke blew the opportunity to settle his side’s nerves but conducted a personal masterclass in game management, which made the eight added minutes almost enjoyable. If there’s a dark art, of which the big man is unaware, it hasn’t  been dreamed up yet. He’s a master of chaos.

The South Yorkshiremen actually started brightly and should have gone in front as early as the fourth minute, when John McAtee ran on to Jordan Williams’ lofted delivery and lobbed Harry Isted as he left his line. The ball took an age to land but eventually cleared the bar to local relief.

McAtee’s near miss assumed added significance when the first of May’s goals fired his side in front. Stepping up to take the 19-yard free kick, awarded for Jamie McCart’s foul on Karoy Anderson, the busy goal machine left Robert standing with a deadly accurate strike to the keeper’s unprotected side. It’s been a long time since Charlton converted a free kick.

Josh Earl’s magnificent block to deny Daniel Kanu a point blank shooting opportunity kept the visitors in the hunt until they equalised before the half-hour mark. Adam Phillips was nerveless from the spot after Kayne Ramsey was ruled to have handled his cross inside the penalty area.

The Tykes came immediately close to snatching the lead when an anonymous Devante Cole wastefully headed Philips’ accurate cross over the bar, and again as Josh Earl sent Luca Connell’s free kick crashing against the woodwork. 

May duly punished their profligacy before the break. The early running was made by Macaulay Gillesphey, whose low ball in was astutely dummied by Dobson. That  allowed May to cut in from the left, through a wrongfooted defence, to set up a wickedly whiplashed right-footed drive into the far corner. 

It was a goal which combined inspired imagination and clinical execution and was scored by a master of his craft.

To the consternation of an encouraging Valley crowd, their heroes squandered several chances to seal the issue, with Kanu heading Dobson’s pinpointed cross too high and May hitting the bar with a clever effort. Though Aneke’s penalty miss briefly shredded nerves, there was no call for panic. 

Actually, the Addicks cruised over the line and reached the magical 50 points target with some style. Which is where Nathan Jones re-enters the narrative. 

When Jones assumed control from the emotionless Michael Appleton in January, he inherited a bewildered group of aimless players who were in serious danger of relegation to League Two. His first priority was to avoid that unthinkable fate and he set about his task pragmatically and single-mindedly.

Jones made Charlton hard to beat and wasted no time in apologising for his methods. His first mission was duly accomplished and Saturday’s cockle-warming performance made it clear that there’s far more to come from this touchline zealot. 

All he needs is love — and a little patience.

Charlton: Isted, Thomas (Bakinson 88), Hector, Small, Gillesphey, Anderson, Coventry, Ramsay (Edmonds-Green 58), Kanu (Aneke 66), May (Campbell 88), Dobson. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Ladapo, Lualua.  Booked: Thomas, Dobson, Anderson.

Barnsley: Roberts, Williams, Russell (Cosgrove 69), De Gevigney, Cadden, McCart, Phillips, Earl (O’Keefe 69), Cole (Jalo 78). McAtee, Connell. Not used: Killip, Kane, Grant, Cotter.  Booked: Phillips, Earl, McAtee, Connell.

Referee: Benjamin Speedie.  

Charlton Athletic 0 v 0 Stevenage

Easter Monday 1st April 2024, Kick-off 15.00

EFL League One

The Valley, Charlton

Admission: Season Ticket

Programme: £3.50

Attendance: 14,251 (1,043 away)

A match report can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below

Brief video highlights can be viewed by clicking here

Kevin Nolan’s Valley View: Charlton Athletic 0-0 Stevenage

A dire match at The Valley on Easter Monday had a silver lining for our returning match reporter KEVIN NOLAN.

This mind-numbing bore draw had, at least from Charlton’s point of view, the dubious virtue of leaving them one win away from securing their future in League One – hardly a cause for celebration but a crumb of comfort on an otherwise bleak Easter Monday.

Their fourteenth draw of a desperately disappointing season extended their unbeaten run under Nathan Jones to ten games, though few among the traumatised home fans saw that as reason for satisfaction.

Jones took over from deadpan Michael Appleton in the wake of a 3-2 home defeat by Northampton Town in January, which left Charlton in 16th position and in serious danger of relegation. His immediate brief was to avoid the drop and it looks like he has achieved his goal. It’s not guaranteed yet but the Addicks are now within three points of the 50 generally considered to be the safety cut-off point.

Pragmatic and single-minded, the new boss deserves credit but is advised not to expect it.

Monday’s visitors Stevenage have, along with Lincoln City, emerged as this season’s surprise packet. Promoted from League Two last term, they have adjusted smoothly to their new challenge and arrived at The Valley within touching distance of the play-offs. 

Having played a full part in an awful apology for a game, however, Boro left with a significant dent in their hopes and no doubt cursing their obvious lack of ambition.

They possibly lacked touchline guidance. Manager Steve Evans was serving the second of a two-game ban – the most recent of many – which was good  news for fourth official Justin Amey, who was free to perform his duties without need of earplugs. 

Say what you like about Evans – perhaps from a safe distance – but he has little to learn about lower league management. The stout Scot’s salty comments, more in thrall to Rab Nesbitt than Rab Burns, were easily audible but his overbearing presence in the coaching area was clearly missed.

The first half of this affront to the “beautiful game” was especially irksome. 

Both sides seemed at pains to surrender possession with indecent haste, ball control was an alien concept, while attempts on goal were almost studiously avoided. Almost but not quite, to be fair, because a check of the notes reveals that Alex MacDonald’s meaty volley, after Nesta Guinness-Walker’s long throw was cleared to him outside Charlton’s penalty area, disappeared into Harry Isted’s perfectly positioned clutches some 31 minutes after kick-off. 

Charlton’s sole response came from Alfie May but the less said about his wayward potshot, the better. Rarely was an interval as eagerly anticipated as it was by thousands of fellow sufferers on Easter Monday.

With the bar set miserably low, the second half brought a distinct improvement. It opened with visiting left-back Dan Butler meeting Jordan Roberts’ accurate cross but skewing his header hopelessly off target. 

Butler’s miss began a costly sequence of missed headed chances by Boro, the second of which saw top scorer Jamie Reid send  a point-blank effort over the bar when substitute Vadaine Oliver nodded back McDonald’s cross from the far post. 

Boro skipper Carl Piergannni added to the visitors’ profligacy by heading Harvey White’s free kick almost predictably wide.

As the game meandered to a longed-for close, Stevenage continued their policy of creating, but squandering, acceptable opportunities of heading home with three urgently needed points. On two separate occasions, Oliver found himself well placed to beat Isted but directed his headers too close to Isted.

At the other end, combative substitute Chuks Aneke’s instinctive flick turned Thierry Small’s low centre narrowly wide. 

Small had been the Addicks’ brightest spark with his left-wing raiding frequently stretching the visitors and scrambling to deal with a series of searching crosses. 

There were other solid contributions, among them the continuing excellence of Michael Hector at the heart of the home defence. Up front, Daniel Kanu worked his proverbial socks off without reward. 

Now seven points above the last relegation spot, Charlton will regard this dour, dull goalless draw as progress made toward survival in League One. With results elsewhere doing them no favours, Stevenage have no such consolation. Their sterile, ultra-cautious approach was as surprising as it was ill-judged.

A second successive promotion seems highly unlikely, which means, at least, we’ll have Steve Evans’ company next season. You just wouldn’t want him living next door to you!

Charlton: Isted, Edmonds-Green, Hector, Thomas, Dobson. T. Watson (Ness 73), Coventry, Small, May (Bakinson 69), Ladapo (Aneke 62), Kanu. Not used: Maynard-Brewer, Edun, Campbell, Lua Lua.

Stevenage: Ashby-Hammond, James-Wildin, Butler, Piergianni, MacDonald, Roberts (Hemmings 76), Vancooten, Burns (Freeman 46), Reid (White 72), Guinness-Walker (L Thompson 72), B Thompson (Oliver 76). Not used: McGillivray, N Thompson.

Referee: Scott Oldham.

Pinchbeck United 0 v 2 Hucknall Town

Saturday 30th March 2024, Kick-off 15.00

United Counties League Premier Division

Sir Halley Stewart Field, Spalding

Admission: £6.00

Programme: £2.50

Attendance: 172

Whilst I was slightly undecided about where to head to today, this game was not on my radar at all when I left home and headed for a game at Chatteris Town. But as I was heading northwards on the Thameslink train, curiously looking at other options, I noticed this game with plenty riding on it, a game between two clubs at the bottom of the table, level on points, and with only the bottom side getting relegated. And as it would provide an opportunity to visit a Step 4 ground, I decided to stay on the train through Huntingdo, continue on to Peterborough, and then catch a bus to Spalding.

The Sir Halley Stewart Field, Spalding couldn't be much more handily placed for visitors, being within a stone's throw of the town centre, is located adjacent to the town's bus station, and the train station is within view. Spectators enter via a turnstile in one corner of the ground, and most of the ground's facilities are located along the length closest to the entrance. As Pinchbeck United are currently lodging at the home ground of Northerm Premier League Midlands Division outfit Spalding United, Spalding's clubhouse is not open on Pinchbeck matchdays, instead a blue portakabin has a bar area inside with a basic range of food and drink. A modern metallic stand is situated just beyond, with a large all-seater stand straddling the half way line, offering excellent and unobstructedd elevated views of the action. Behind one end is the Spalding clubhouse, which looked modern inside, with picnic tables outside, along with a hot food van and a drinks outlet, neither of which were open today. A further modern metallic stand covering steps to stand on is located next to the clubhouse. The remaining length and end has just hard standing. The background is quite interesting, with old fashioned town housing behind one length beyond a grassy area, and a large square water tower building an imposing sight behind the main stand. A printed programme was produced, covering both today's game and a game on Tuesday, and for that one should certainly be thankful, it was grossly overpriced at £2.50.

It has certainly been a season to forget for both clubs, marooned at the bottom of the table, both having amassed just 18 points from their 31 league games so far, and were ten points adrift of the third bottom club AFC Mansfield, who are out of reach with just three games left to play, including today. So, today would almost be a case of winner takes all, as the winner would move three points clear with just two games remaining, and a Hucknall win could be decisive, as they have a vastly superior goal difference. Pinchbeck have given them a chance of survival after winning their last two league games, while Hucknall have also been in reasomable form, losing just once in their last six games, picking up two wins and a draw. When the two sides met back in early September, Pinchbeck secured a 0-5 away win.

A match report can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below :-

Pinchbeck United lose to Hucknall Town in the United Counties League Premier Division North

 By James Bedford - james.bedford@iliffepublishing.co.uk

Defeat in a game which they couldn't afford to lose has left Pinchbeck United's step five status in the 'lap of the Gods.'

The Knights went down to a 2-0 home loss against relegation rivals Hucknall Town in the United Counties League Premier Division North on Saturday.

The visitors defied a dismissal late in the first half to score twice after the break and take control in the battle to beat relegation.

The Knights had gone into the game buoyed by two back-to-back wins but disappointed manager Lewis Thorogood felt his side hadn't matched those exploits in the crunch clash.

He said: "We just didn't turn up to the occasion which is probably the bit that hurts the most.

"It was very disappointing and the reality is that we're now in the lap of the Gods because realistically Hucknall can relegate us if they win their next game.

"We weren't as positive on the offensive as I would have liked and, at the end of the day, two soft goals have cost us."

Pinchbeck had a gilt-edged chance to take the lead in the opening exchanges as Hugo Hunt rounded the goalkeeper but couldn't force his finish past the covering defender while a posse of visiting players then crowned out Amadu Kanu's follow-up.

The visitors looked like they offered a greater attacking threat and, after Brad Wells had seen an early penalty shout turned down, Knights goalkeeper Lewis Cox made a couple of smart stops to deny Max Scoular and Joe Ashurst.

Hucknall did then have the ball in the net following a corner but the effort was ruled out for offside while Niall Towle flashed an effort wide at the back post.

Pinchbeck then lost defender Josh Simpson to injury but the game looked to be swinging in their favour when Hucknall were reduced to 10 men five minutes before half-time.

Hunt took advantage of a misunderstanding between two Hucknall defenders and raced clear before being brought down by Dillon Rawson who was red carded.

The resultant free-kick was fired over the crossbar but moments later Hunt again found himself the wrong side of the Hucknall defence.

This time he went down under the challenge of ex-Pinchbeck defender Taylor Jaine but the referee waved play on, much to the dismay and anger of the home side.

The visitors safely negotiated the final stages of the first half and came close to taking the lead shortly after ther restart when the ball dropped in the area to Aaron Short whose shot cannoned back off the post.

Home goalkeeper Cox then did well to deny Wells with a fine save before the former Spalding striker made the vital breakthrough for the visitors.

He weaved his way through the home defence and, although Cox and defender Charlie Brooks managed to block his first effort, the much-travelled frontman rifled home the rebound.

Wells came close to doubling the lead shortly after with a header that hit the crossbar while Pinchbeck struggled to find a way back into the contest.

Harry Cranfield and Ben Robson both had headers from setpieces which went wide while there best opening fell to Kanu who shot over when well placed.

The visitors then wrapped up the win in the last minute with Wells this time the provider as he teed up substitute Daniel Odunaiya to slot home a second goal which put the contest beyond Pinchbeck.

Manager Thorogood added: "It was very cagey at the start as you would expect and the first 20 minutes lacked any quality from both sides.

"There wasn't really much in it but we had a great chance early on and didn't put it away.

"I felt it was the right decision for the sending off and the next one five minutes later was identical and, in my opinion, it was also a sending off. I can't see how the referee can define between the first one and the second one but that's bye the bye.

"They went more direct in the second half and we struggled to cope with it. We conceded two cheap goals which we shouldn't have done."

Hucknall can now virtually confirm their survival with victory at Kimberley Miners Welfare on Monday as they boast a far superior goal difference.

If the Yellows drop points, Pinchbeck have a home match with Sleaford Town on Tuesday night where victory would take the fight for survival down to the final game of the season.

A match report from Hucknall Town's point of view can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below :-

YELLOWS WIN THE BOTTOM OF THE TABLE CLASH DESPITE GOING DOWN TO TEN MEN....

Pinchbeck 0-2 Yellows

It was Easter weekend delight for Yellows who overcame Pinchbeck two goals to nil at the Sir Halley Stewart Field in what could be a decisive game in the race for survival.

It was a shaky start for both sides however, with Yellows almost falling behind within the first five minutes had it not been for a goal line clearance from both Aaron Short and Dillion Rawson. The hosts weren’t without frailties of their own following numerous penalty shouts, firstly for a nudge on Brad Wells, followed shortly by a push on Taylor Jaine, but both incidents were waved away by the referee.

Yellows thought they had taken the lead shortly after as Jaine flicked the ball on for Short who beat the keeper but not the offside trap which concluded a frantic first ten minutes.

Yellows were the better side for large spells of the first half and almost opened the scoring on numerous occasions. Nial Towle volleyed narrowly wide after some excellent work from Joe Ashurst to beat his man and pick out the former at the far post. Ayleal Dill also went close after some nice play from Yellows which left Saad with space down the right to swing a ball in for Dill to attack, but he couldn’t divert his header goalward.

Despite being on top for the majority of the half, Yellows were dealt a huge blow just five minutes from the break. Following a defensive miscommunication, Hugo Hunt found himself through on goal and following a tangle with the Dillon Rawson, the latter was given his marching orders from the man in the middle. Yellows were almost reduced to nine as Hunt again caused problems this time for Taylor Jaine as there appeared to be yet another tangle through on goal but there were no repercussions this time around. An uphill battle awaited Reece Limbert’s men in the second half.

Following just the one change at the interval, the ten men of Hucknall yet again raced out the blocks and went agonisingly close to taking the lead as skipper Short saw his effort from the edge of the box come back off the crossbar. Yellows would make the breakthrough just minutes later as Brad Wells crashed his effort in off the crossbar to fire Yellows into the lead and make it five goals in four games for the former Spalding United man. Wells would later almost double his tally and Hucknall’s lead following a Joe Ashurst corner. Wells made his way through the crowd to meet the cross only to see his header graze the top of the crossbar. Yellows would eventually grab their second on 89 minutes, a short corner made its way to Wells on the byline who pulled it back for substitute Daniel Odunaiya to seal three valuable points for Yellows.

A monumental second half performance from the ten men of Yellows and a huge step towards survival. The job is not finished yet though as all eyes will be on Monday’s game away at Kimberley where three points would all but confirm Yellows league status.

Speaking after the match Manager Reece Limbert was both complimentary of the way his squad adapted after going down to ten men but also focussed on the job that still has to be done. "I am extremely proud of the squad for their performance in today's win. It goes a long way towards our target and I’m delighted for the supporters who were amazing today. It shows character going down to 10 men in the first half and then to grind out a result and we did just that. The mentality of these players is outstanding but we must regroup and go again on Monday. The job isn’t done yet and we must ensure we get a result in one or both of our remaining games to ensure our safety".

It is a very short break for the squad as they travel to Kimberley tomorrow in what could be a decisive match.

Crawley Town 0 v 2 Doncaster Rovers

Good Friday 29th March 2024, Kick-off 15.00

EFL League Two

Broadfield Stadium, Crawley

Admission: £2.00

Programme: None

Attendance: 5,336 (625 away)

To kick off my Easter weekend action, I chose to take in my second visit to the Broadfield Stadium this season, seduced by a special promotion ran by the club, offering all tickets for just £2. And so I jumped on board quickly to secure my seat on the West Stand.

After a pretty disastrous season last season, which saw Crawley narrowly avoid the relegation trap door, thing have much improved, and settled, this season under Scott Lindsey and apparently a lot less meddling from the club's owners Wagmi Ltd, and they came into this game in seventh place and in the final play-off position, following 18 wins and five draws from their 38 league games. Doncaster have had quite a disappointing season, coming into this game down in 18th place, following 14 wins and seven draws from their 38 league games. But they were in very good form though, having won their last three games. So Crawley were in good form too though, as they had won three and drawn the other of their last four league games.In the reverse fixture played back in early October, Doncaster won 2-0.

A match report from the Crawley Town website can be ready by clicking here, also copied and pasted below :-

REPORT | CRAWLEY TOWN 0-2 DONCASTER ROVERS

Reds downed by Rovers at Broadfield Stadium

It was not a particularly ‘Good Friday’ for Crawley Town as they slipped to a 0-2 defeat at home to Doncaster Rovers.

It was a fairly inconspicuous start to proceedings, and a good save on 12 minutes from Corey Addai to tip Luke Molyneux’s effort round the post represented the game’s first real action. Ronan Darcy had previously gone close for the hosts.

Lolos and Orsi both missed golden chances for Crawley just before the half hour mark. Lolos was played through by Jeremy Kelly, and found himself one on one with the keeper. However, Lo-Tutala could only parry the ball straight into Orsi’s path, but his attempt was blocked well by a defender.

Moments later, Will Wright was inches from finding the opener with a free-kick from the wide-left that wormed its way through the mass of bodies in the box and crept just past the post.

Doncaster took the lead early on in the second half as Hakeeb Adelakun powered down the left hand side, cut in and unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner past Crawley  ‘keeper Addai.

It was a goal that killed the mood inside the stadium, as Crawley had been much the better side up to that point in the game and could have felt hard done by going behind in such a manner.

Midway through the second half, Doncaster centre-back Tom Anderson was sent off for a horrible challenge on Orsi on the halfway line.

Tempers looked to be boiling over and it seemed like, once Orsi had recovered from the effects of the challenge, a good time for Crawley to regroup and figure out a way round this stubborn Doncaster outfit.

The travelling side had a great opportunity to double their advantage when Addai threw the ball straight to an unmarked Max Biamou. However, the Frenchman was only able to bend his shot round the far post, despite having the entire goal and penalty area seemingly at his mercy.

Substitute George Broadbent also wasted a similarly straightforward chance for Rovers, as he blazed his shot well over the bar when left one-on-one with Addai.

As the fourth official indicated nine additional minutes, there was renewed hope inside the ground that Crawley might find the equaliser they so desperately craved.

But, unfortunately, events went yet further south for the hosts and with two of the nine minutes added on left to play, Biamou doubled the away side’s lead, rolling the ball into an empty net, sparking joyous scenes on the terrace behind him.

It’s a result that sees Crawley slip to 9th in the table, with three massive away games against Newport County, Mansfield Town and Wrexham to follow this fixture before a return to the Broadfield on Saturday 13 April, when Colchester United come to town.

REDS XI: Addai, Adeyemo (Gordon 53'), Wright (Kelly 83'), Mukena, Maguire, Forster (Tsaroulla 53'), J.Kelly (Roles 64'), Darcy (Campbell 83'), Williams (c), Lolos, Orsi 

Attendance: 5,336 (625 away)

Brief video highlights can be viewed by clicking here

Chepstow Town 1 v 0 Treowen Stars

Saturday 23rd March 2024, Kick-off 14.30

Ardal Southern League South East Division

Larkspur Drive, Chepstow

Admission including Programme: £6.00

Attendance: 70 (estimate)

With a 25% off voucher for National Express tickets, I decided to book a ticket to Bristol for today, knowing there is always a plethora of games to choose from in that region. In the end, I decided to pop just over the border into Wales, for this game in the third tier of the Welsh pyramid.

Having arrived at Bristol Bus Station at midday, I then quickly boarded a bus for about an hour's journey north eastwards to the charming town of Chepstow - although sadly, I did not have time to fully explore the town. The entrance to the ground is along one length, with admission paid at a wooden hut, with a programme included with admission. Pleasingly, the programme is available to download online as well. Facilities are fairly basic, with no floodlights present. A modern metallic all-seater stand straddles the half way line, with hard standing along the rest of this length and behind one end. The other length has only fairly uneven grass to stand on, although it was the best place to watch the action from today, with the sun behind, while the remaining length is out of bounds. A spacious and modern clubhouse is set back in one corner, with a range of seating options and draught beers available. The ground looks out over the distant hills on the English side of the border, with both Severn bridges are also visible. It is a tidy and well kept ground, with a very friendly welcome from all encountered.

This game would be between two clubs with work to do to remain in the division, particularly the visitors. Chepstow came into this game in tenth place, following seven wins and four draws from their 20 league games, seven points above the bottom three in the relegation zone. Treowen Stars were fourth bottom, only out of the relegation zone on goal difference, but have played a game less than both clubs above them.

A bright sunny afternoon gave way to a heavy hailstorm at the players came out to take the field of play, alhough mercifully that only lasted for a couple of minutes, before the fine conditions resumed and remained throughout the game.Chepstow came close to opening the scoring in the third minute, when a long range shot caught the keeper out of position and the ball came back off the top right angle of the woodwork. But for the rest of the half, the visitors slightly edged proceedings, doing most of the attacking and looking the more likely to score. But neither side did and the scoreline remained goalless at the break.

The second half continued in much the same fashion, although Chepstow thought they had taken the lead on 74 minutes, when a cross was headed into the ground and over the line, but the goal was ruled out for offise. But in the 82nd minute, the home side were awarded a penalty for a trip in the box, and Matty Board drove the spot kick down the middle. In added on time, the visitors saw a corner come back off the post, and they were consigned to another defeat, although they remained out of the relegation zone, with Abercarn United losting last night. As for Chepstow, it was not a great performance by them today, but the three points almost certainly ensures their survival for next season.