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Risca United guaranteed themselves a chance at promotion after a hard fought 0-0 draw against fellow promotion-chasers Trethomas Bluebirds.
Heading into the game at the Centre for Sporting Excellence on Tuesday night, there was a chance that Risca could win the Ardal South East with a win over the Bluebirds.
For that to happen, Abertillery would have needed to drop points to bottom-of-the-table Ebbw Vale, who after taking a surprising 1-0 lead, lost 2-1 to Abertillery – who are now favourites to win the title.
The game itself was nervy for both teams. This was Risca’s last game of the season and they wanted to end it on a high, but knew a point would be enough to guarantee at least second.
Trethomas on the other hand came into the game with several key players missing, including captain Tom Rutherford and top goalscorer Levi Rees.
Neither side controlled the game early on but it was clear that Risca’s Zack Maher would be one to watch. He was incredibly direct and asked questions of the Trethomas defence for most of the game.
The first chance however fell for Bluebirds midfielder Thomas Gameson after the ball came in from a cross, but he headed just over the bar.
Adam Raymond started the game up front for Trethomas and despite telling Caerphilly Observer that his “playing days were over”, had some great touches and held the ball up well when asked.
Trethomas were finding it hard to fashion any clear chances, however. Risca’s backline pressed high up the field out of possession, creating no distance between it and its forwards. This made it almost impossible for the Bluebirds to get the ball through midfield.
It took 24 minutes for the cuckoos to get their first chance of the game. Top scorer on 13 goals, Leon Thomas flashed a shot wide right.
A few minutes later and it should have been 1-0 Risca. Thomas delivered a perfect ball from the left to the feet of Maher who couldn’t quite get it from under his feet. A chance missed.
Bluebird Charlie Loss had a decent effort that was pushed wide by keeper Michael Morris, but the best effort came from the resulting corner when Andrew Evans prodded home from close range before the linesman scuppered celebrations and called an offside.
The half finished at a walking pace. Maher created a decent chance with a nice bit of skill in midfield, but overall there was nothing to shout about as the half time whistle blew. 0-0.
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The second half resumed with more bad news for Trethomas. Captain Ryan Bolter had gone off injured and been replaced by assistant manager Matthew Jones.
To his credit, Jones looked pretty comfortable slotting in at left back. He might not have been up and down the field, but he was vocal and did the simple things well.
The tempo of the game improved in the early moments of the second half. Maher had a decent chance inside the box but couldn’t get a shot off in time.
For the first time in the evening the game felt like a derby. Some bold tackles going in from both sides with Evans and Jones picking up cautions for late challenges.
It wasn’t until the hour mark that the second half saw its first clear-cut chance. Gwion Pugh-Jones, who played in midfield due to injuries, had a free header from a corner. His effort sailed over to his frustration.
Neither side were really looking at it half way through the second half. Trethomas, plagued by injuries, knew a draw would be a decent result, while Risca knew a point would guarantee them a promotion shot.
With ten minutes to go, Risca were just about edging it. The flow was still stop-start as both teams were booked for time wasting.
The managers were also going at it. Both warned by referee Kevin Morgan.
As the full time whistle approached, there was sure to be one big chance.
Unfortunately for Trethomas, it might have fallen to the wrong man. Centre back Adam Jones found the ball at his feet just inside the box with time to turn and shoot. Leaning back however he blazed one over the bar.
The final whistle blew in what was something of an anti-climax. There was no exchange of handshakes between the managers after a frustrating 90 minutes.
After the match, Caerphilly Observer spoke to Risca United manager, Simon Berry, who said: “We just wanted to play naturally tonight and take the emotion out of it.
“We knew they were missing a few which presented an opportunity. We had a few chances but didn’t take them. We didn’t have to win the game but we wanted to.”
On how he’ll spend his time now that the league title is out of Risca’s hands, coach Berry said: “It’s been a long season so I’ll just chill out, I’m not going to watch Abertillery.
“It’ll be what it’ll be. If they go win the league from here then they deserve it.”
That draw puts Trethomas in 4th place with three games to go. It does however mean that they can no longer win the league and are relying on Abertillery to drop points to secure a playoff spot in second.
Manager Mark Dunford spoke to Caerphilly Observer after the game: “I’m not one to dwell on the injuries and I hadn’t mentioned it all day. We were missing eight starters which is difficult but we put a team out there that was good enough to win and I think we made a good account of ourselves.
“We just need to take nine points in our last three games and see where it takes us. Abertillery have got to win their games and us ours. It’s not ideally where we want to be but it’s all we can do.”
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