FOOTBALL: An Aaron Pewtner hat-trick sent The Welfare on their way to a comprehensive victory against Rogerstone on Saturday November 23 .
The Welfare started off full of purpose and looked to get Rogerstone on the back foot from the kick off. The pitch was in very poor condition and was extremely difficult to play on but The Welfare were playing some good football.
With 20 minutes on the clock a penalty to The Welfare put Aaron Pewtner in front of goal, making no mistake and putting The Welfare into a deserved one nil lead.
A drilled ball across the box lead to a miscued clearance from the Rogerstone keeper, leaving Jack Pewtner to roll the ball into the back of the net, 2-0.
Aaron Pewtner got his second after 35 minutes when he was found by an excellent pass by Tony Davies, Pewtner hammering the ball home on the half volley to put the Welfare in a great position, 3-0 at half-time.
With 55 minutes on the clock, Ben Murphy went on a run, beating four Rogerstone players in the process.
As he was about to get his shot away the Rogerstone defender managed to poke the ball away but a goalmouth scramble resulted in Murphy stabbing the ball into the net, to make things 4-0.
A Rogerstone corner was interrupted by a raised manhole cover in the centre of the penalty spot, a serious safety concern but the referee felt the game could continue.
A Nicholas Thomas header was parried into the path of Gareth Knott who fired it home, 5-0.
Man of the match Aaron Pewtner then got his hat-trick. A fine Nicholas Thomas run was halted when the Rogerstone defender took him down outside the box but surprisingly the referee handed The Welfare a penalty. Pewtner slotted his Penalty home for his third and The Welfare’s sixth.
The manhole cover caused another halt in play before Rogerstone got a consolation goal from a penalty, leaving the final score 6-1.
On a serious note, The Rogerstone pitch is a serious health hazard and something needs to be done. This is no reflection whatsoever on Rogerstone AFC and the local council need to do something to maintain the safety of players and officials.
• Report provided by YWFC