Monmouth Town 1 Taffs Well 2

MONMOUTH Town’s Kingfishers couldn’t deliver a perfect send off for departing chairman Lee Robson but both teams did provide an enthralling and highly competitive game at a sun drenched Sportsground last Saturday.

The Wellmen are a fixture at the highest levels of Welsh League football and have developed a close rivalry with Monmouth, coming runners up to the Town in their title winning season of 2014, and the game was always likely to be tight and occasionally feisty. Indeed, the season opener in North Cardiff had seen two Taffs players dismissed. This match was played in good spirits with Taffs on the front foot in the early exchanges but both sides having chances not equalled by good finishes and neither keeper looked troubled during the first half.

Taffs striker Jason Bertorelli should perhaps have given Blackburn no chance when one on one, but the bearded net minder was equal to the efforts. Bertorelli was to save his best for the second half. Monmouth took the lead on the hour mark when Elliot Ford out-jumped former Kingfishers favourite Dan Clare and Greaves hit his shot early into the bottom right hand corner.

The lead lasted less than a minute however as Bertorelli latched onto a looping through ball and smashed a volley past a helpless Blackburn. The game ebbed and flowed and manager Andrew Smith was sent to the stands after complaining too strongly with refereeing decisions and, with barely five minutes remaining, a poor pass from Ashley Ford was intercepted and some neat play let in Bertorelli and his finish was exemplary.

Ford had another chance late on with a great strike from an angle and the introduction of 17-year-old Jac Hardman produced some other half chances and a glimpse of a bright future for the young man but it wasn’t enough and the three points went to the Cardiff team.

Next week the Kingfishers travel to Cardiff Met University in a league cup encounter while the reserves start a run of home games (kick off 2pm).