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Trethomas Bluebirds have returned to the summit of the Cymru South with a 1-0 win over Caerau Ely in Ystrad Mynach.

Off the back of three straight draws, the Bluebirds were looking to return to winning ways on Friday night at the Centre for Sporting Excellence, but had to do so without manager Mark Dunford in the dugout, who was sent off in a 2-2 draw to Trefelin.

It was a close contest throughout against 11th place Caerau Ely, but Gareth Tedstone’s diving header in the first-half proved the difference, and thanks to Ammanford beating Llanelli, the Bluebirds move clear by one point at the top with six games to go.

Kick-off

It was the visitors who looked the more settled side to start. Fresh off their Welsh Cup quarter-final loss to the Nomads, Caerau must have put together a few dozen passes before the Bluebirds saw the ball.

Trethomas’ coaching staff had clearly done their homework heading into this one, the hosts pressed high-up the pitch to stop the short balls out from the goalkeeper – midfielder James Young pushing up into a four on the edge of the box.

If and when they could bypass the press however, Caerau did have space in the midfield and out wide, which they looked to exploit in the early parts of the game.

No real chances from either side though after 20 minutes. Top scorer for the visitors Liam Bishop with the first shot on target claimed comfortably by Harry Irving.

Most of the play for the Bluebirds was directed down the right. Traditional midfielder Thomas Gameson playing out wide as he sometimes does to provide height.

Still though, nothing in the way of chance creation for the hosts, not until their press forced Caerau to give up on the short goal kick and go long.

Manager Mark Dunford must have been delighted to see the game plan executed so well from the stands, when a clearance by keeper Exauce Dimonekene was headed straight back by Andrew Evans.

Winger Ethan Edwards managed to gather it on the edge of the box before feeding it to James Young whose initial strike was palmed away.

Gameson did well to pick-up the second ball to feed Young down the right, who opted for a cross this time towards lethal striker Gareth Tedstone at the back post.

Having missed this fixture first time around, Tedstone got his 14th goal of the campaign with a diving header to give Trethomas a 1-0 lead.

The visitors almost answered immediately down the other end when a ball across found Bishop in the middle. The striker caught it well but put the shot onto the underside of the bar before it was hooked away.

It turned into quite an open game for the final five minutes or so of the half, but neither side could find that killer moment and so it remained 1-0.

Second-half

It was a more controlled start to the second-half from the Bluebirds, but the visitors had the first big chance when once again down the right a ball was played into Bishop.

He got over the ball better this time, and with his strike heading in, Irving made a brilliant reaction save to tip the ball over the bar.

On a yellow card, Edwards made way for Leon Thomas who looked great down the left; he and Gameson linked-up several times to frustrate Caerau who needed to get hold of the game.

The visitors soon found their feet though, and as one of the best pure footballing sides in the Cymru South, began moving the ball sharply and testing the Trethomas defence.

Credit to the backline, they were on it all game. Harvey Selway at right back in particular was asked a few questions one on one, but defended well and kept crosses to a minimum.

After ten minutes or so out of possession, the Bluebirds finally got out and managed to win a series of corners. This seemed to halt any Caerau flow, and the visitors struggled to put much together for the rest of the game.

Eating the clock as best they could, Trethomas were naturally wary of a break, and when one came, a Caerau forward was brought down on the edge of the area with minutes to go.

Flashbacks to the reverse fixture where the Bluebirds conceded a late equaliser from a free-kick, but not this time. The tame effort was collected by Irving who remained down for as long as he could.

The final whistle went soon after, and with Llanelli losing at home to Ammanford, the Bluebirds retake top spot by a single point, with their destiny now in their own hands.

Reaction

After the win, Caerphilly Observer spoke to Trethomas Bluebirds assistant manager, Matthew Jones. He said: “Performances are important and I think we were solid in the main, but this part of the season is just about results.

“We achieved what we set out to do today so we’re pleased.”

Asked about the goal, Jones added: “We’re big on being aggressive in certain areas and that was the first time we pressed hard out of possession and thankfully Tedstone was there to convert.”

On their opposition today, he said: “These are the best footballing team in the league in my opinion and they displayed that tonight through some excellent football players.

“I thought our subs changed the game though. We spoke about it before the match – our starting 11 giving the boys on the bench the platform to finish the game off and that’s exactly what they did.”

Asked about the title race, Jones said there’s still a “long way to go”, and that all they can do is “focus on three points”.

Three more crucial points will be up for grabs when Trethomas travel west to face Baglan Dragons on Saturday March 1.