Spar Mid Wales League. Division 1.
Aberaeron 1 Berriew 2
A few lapses of concentration and a stroke of bad luck proved very costly for Aberaeron on Saturday as it effectively robbed them of three points.
One of these lapses gifted visitors Berriew a penalty just as the seagulls were dominating the game and a cruel piece of misfortune came on the hour when Sion Clarke headed home an own goal with his side in the ascendency once again.
Manager Jason Jones admitted to being very angry at the end of this game as he thought his team had thrown away what should have been a well deserved victory against a side currently sitting pretty in second place just below Rhayader Town.
Jones had a full squad to choose from and he admitted that he was confident of a positive result and just as he had asked in his pre match team talk, his troops started strongly and dominated the early encounters and created numerous opportunities.
Aberaeron deservedly took the lead after fifteen minutes when a pin point diagonal ball by Gareth Severs found James Hemmings who had ghosted in behind the defence and he headed brilliantly into the roof of the net.
The hosts continued to dominate, and defended strongly when they needed to but as half time approached they momentarily lost concentration allowing the Berriew front line too much space on the break and they conceded a penalty which was duly dispatched by Karl Seliarts to level the score.
The second half began with Aberaeron once again dominating play and they came very close to scoring on numerous occasions. Matty Davies had an appeal for a stone wall penalty waived away and the visitors were very fortunate when their goalkeeper almost punched the ball in to his own net but managed to claw it back spectacularly just in the nick of time.
Berriew took the lead on the hour and in very controversial fashion when a corner was headed in to his own net by Sion Clarke after he appeared to have been pushed by a visiting forward. The goal though was given despite heated arguments and the seasiders, with only fifteen minutes remaining and having lost Matty Davies to an ankle injury, threw caution to the wind.
Powerful defender Sion Clarke was pushed up front and this almost paid off as he came close on two occasions but Berriew hung on for the three points to complete a miserable afternoon for Jones and his Aberaeron team after they had played so well but with nothing to show for it.