TITLE RACE IS OVER
Long time leaders Lampeter Town finally got over the line in their last game of the season to secure the Ceredigion Costcutter League Championship but they needed a bit of luck in the dying stages of a tense match against Newcastle Emlyn.
The north road men went into this key fixture knowing that they had to win to deny St Dogmaels the championship but with time almost up they were a goal behind.
At the same time St Dogmaels were coasting to a 3-0 victory at Ffostrasol and the champagne was being put on ice at the Saints headquarters across the river Teifi.
However Town raider Scymon Konwiak rescued his side just in the nick of time with an equaliser as supporters looked anxiously at their watches and just a few minutes later the home side were awarded an injury time penalty by referee Llyr Evans. Town skipper Terry Witts was entrusted with the spot kick and he held his nerve to tuck the ball into the net to spark celebrations that went on long into the evening.
Ecstasy very soon turned into agony over at Parc Troedrhiw as the Saints who kicked off slightly earlier than the Lampeter match were awaiting news of the result as they had been reliably informed that the reds were 1-0 up with the game almost over. However two goals in a few minutes sealed the three points for Lampeter and their first championship since 2009 with St Dogmaels forced to settle for the runners up spot.
Jake Kelly provided the solitary goal for Emlyn mid-way through the second half in what was a very nervy and scrappy match and he and his team should have tucked the game up fifteen minutes from time but Dion Davies failed to capitalise on a great chance to put his team 2-0 up.
Town manager Terry Jones gambled in the final minutes and pushed players up the field and it was Konwiak who is often a scorer of crucial goals who grabbed the equaliser when he was first to a ball played into the box. Jones urged his players to go for it as the game moved into time added on and from the first of two crucial refereeing decisions the game and championship was turned on its head.
The first of these came when Reds full back Sam Hall was cautioned for time wasting at a throw in and the throw was reversed and the ball given back to the home side. From the possession regained Town pushed hard and a rather soft penalty was awarded by referee Evans with the visiting players left shaking their heads in bemusement.
This mattered little to the home side and team captain Terry Witts, a regular penalty taker stroked the ball home to complete the scoring and seal three of the most important points in the clubs history.
Speaking after the game manager Jones who is retiring after 11 years at the helm said:” I am delighted for the boys and I think it is well deserved as they have worked hard all season.
“It has been very tough as we have such a small squad and we have had to rely on pretty much the same thirteen men and we have been lucky that we were knocked out early in some of the cup competitions otherwise we would have been very stretched.
“ We had a bit of a blip in the month of March after going unbeaten for so long but we came back strongly and showed plenty of character when it really mattered and I would like to thank all my players and supporters for their commitment week in week out.”
St Dogmaels came through for a comfortable win against Ffostrasol as expected and they could do no more and they are very unlucky not to win the championship as like Lampeter they only lost two matches all season.
“I would like to congratulate Lampeter Town and manager Terry Jones on their achievement as they have been very consistent but I am happy that we have pushed them all the way throughout the season and even up until the dying seconds of their final game.
“I am very proud of my Saints team who have been superbly led by skipper Jason Williams although all my players have been outstanding.
Since Christmas we have probably been the best team in the league and one could argue that we deserve to win overall but the margins were very tight and sometimes all it takes is the rub of the green at the right time.”