Due to the international weekend a great opportunity for another game on the Sunday was presented to me. Never look a “double header” gift horse in the mouth, as they probably never say! It was chance to see Neath in their "new" surroundings with a visit The Gnoll today, and to re-complete my visits to all of the Welsh premier league grounds. The ground it very easy to find as it is in the town centre and is very well signposted. A rugby ground, but it certainly has "character" as they say! Sadly, for the football matches only the one stand is open and all the fans are congregated in the main seated area. This is two separate stands that look they have been joined together. There are terraces behind the goals but you are not allowed to stand on them for football games. Opposite is a smaller seated stand, which looks like the temporary scaffolding seat arrangements you see at events. How long his groundshare arrangement will last I don’t know, but the ground is a lot better than the exposed Llandarcy Park.
After paying my £5 entrance fee and a further £1 for a, quite frankly, dreadful programme I settled down for the game. What an exciting game it turned out to be, especially after a wretched first half in which I was struggling to keep my interest alive. Neath forced three corners in the first minute and that was about it until Andy Hill scored a goal after 34 minutes following a defensive mistake. The rest of the half was then just as forgettable as the previous 33 minutes!
I don't know what was said at half time but it certainly did the trick. Both teams actually played some good football and produced no shortage of incident. Neath went 2-0 up seconds after the break when Hill slotted home from the penalty spot. Welshpool got a goal back on 52 mnutes when William Thomas beat Clayton Blackmore for pace and slotted home via a deflection. It was 2-2 after 64 minutes when Paul Roberts cut inside the area from the left and fired home a great shot into the bottom corner. Welshpool then had a free kick hit the post and another effort cleared off the line before Andy Hill tapped in his hat-trick goal on 72 minutes after a great run and cut back from substitute Kerry Morgan. Welshpool pushed for an equaliser, even hitting the crossbar with minutes to go, but Neath held on for their first win at The Gnoll, a result which lifted them off the bottom of the league.
Sunday 12th October 2008
Welsh Premier League
Neath Athletic 3-2 Welshpool Town
Attendance: 320
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