Gwent Premier One

Graig Villa Dino 2 Mardy AFC 4

THIS was the archetypal game of two halves with Mardy trailing 2-0 to Graig Villa Dino at half-time, but running out 4-2 winners after an excellent second half display, sparked off by a wonder goal from inside his own half by Aaron Norman, reports CLIVE HARRY.

Following a quiet start to Saturday's game, Villa Dino took the lead after ten minutes when Tom Fry flicked in a cross from Andrew Coleman.

The goal gave the hosts a lift and they began to press forward at every opportunity, with Mardy keeping in touch thanks to several excellent saves from Gareth Williams, including an excellent block from an attacker who was through on goal before saving a follow up shot.

The visitors struggled to impose themselves and Williams made several more quality saves before Mardy finally sprang into life five minutes from the break when Dan Palmer gave Jack Williams a sight of goal, but his powerful shot was just wide.

The hosts then had something of a lucky break when Joe Donovan was shown a yellow card for a nasty foul, but escaped the ultimate punishment when he committed a similar infringement soon afterwards.

Nevertheless, his side increased their lead only seconds before the interval when Fry was put in the clear to score his second.

It was clear that Mardy needed an early goal to get back in the game and it arrived right at the start of the second half when Tom Jenkins passed the kick-off back to Aaron Norman standing on the edge of the centre circle in his own half.

The Mardy centre back obviously had a pre-ordained mindset and struck the ball so cleanly that it soared towards goal and hardly seemed to have lost any pace as it went over back-tracking keeper Jack Phillips into the back of the net to everybody's astonishment.

The goal was the perfect start and it it lit the blue touch paper as the whole team exploded into life, with the visitors pressing forward to the extent that they were level within eight minutes.

A good move ended with a lovely ball from Jack Williams giving Jenkins room for a shot at goal, but he was tripped before he could pull the trigger, and the resultant penalty was confidently put away by Ellis French to maintain his 100 per cent record from the spot.

The hosts strove valiantly to get back into the game, but Mardy were now asking all the questions and creating half chances until they took the lead on 73 minutes with a picture book goal.

A free-kick out on the right touchline was taken by substitute Dan Wait, who was returning from injury, and he flighted it perfectly for Norman to climb above a defender and head across goal for Jenkins to beat Phillips at his near post.

Such was the turnaround that there looked to be only one winner now, and a clinching fourth goal came with nine minutes remaining, when Phillips was put under pressure with the ball at his feet and his half blocked clearance was picked up by Williams just outside the area.

The young midfielder still had work to do, but he beat a defender and fired into the unguarded net from the edge of the box to make it 4-2.

The action still wasn't over and Donovan finally received a red card after yet another foul before Mardy were unlucky not to score a fifth, when a great header from Nathan Price rebounded off the bar and away to safety.

Mardy travel to Pontymister on Wednesday evening (September 4) before a trip to Abercarn on Saturday (September 8) in the FAW Amateur Trophy.