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Trethomas Bluebirds returned to winning ways on Friday night with a 3-2 victory over Afan Lido in the Cymru South.

The Bluebirds were looking to get things back on track after a couple dropped points in recent games, and had a great chance to do so against a Lido side who were one from bottom with a new manager.

It proved a tricky one however, despite the visitors going down to ten men with 30 minutes to play.

In the end though, a late Kallum Thomas strike made it 3-2, with Mark Dunford’s side snatching all three points under the floodlights of the Centre for Sporting Excellence.

Kick-off

Fifteen-minutes later than expected due to an official getting stuck in traffic, the game got underway.

Two very contrasting game plans saw the Bluebirds parked high-up the pitch whilst their Port Talbot-based opposition sat in and soaked-up pressure.

The visitors found it difficult to apply any pressure however, with Trethomas passing it from side to side, probing for a gap in the defence.

If anything, it was a case of too many options for Mark Dunford’s men, it all became a little too cute at times with dinked balls over the top and players refusing to take a shot.

A move from striker Gareth Tedstone down the left was probably the best passage of play inside ten minutes. He spun his man before whipping a venomous cross into the back post where James Young couldn’t get enough on it.

When the ball did go back to the Bluebirds defenders, captain and midfielder James Saddler would sit in and control the game, whilst the centre backs split and fullbacks came inside, providing all sorts of options out wide and through the middle.

Despite their dominance, it was the visitors who had the first big chance of the game, when Joshua Webber was away down the left.

In far too much space, Webber had time to pick-out the far corner, which he would have done, bar the outstretched glove of Harry Irving. A superb save.

The Bluebirds number one could do little about the next chance from the resulting corner however. Unmarked, Connah Troy headed home from a few yards out and somehow it was 1-0 Lido.

With just one win in their last six league matches, there was a fear the Trethomas heads would drop, as the visitors started to play with more belief and urgency.

One Lido player who was quickly sapped of any belief and hooked at half-time was Sean Hanbury; he was having a nightmare up against Jack Jones down the right who was turning him inside out.

After a few failed crosses, Jones finally made the right pass having danced past two brilliantly before cutting back to Thomas Gameson in the box.

The midfielder couldn’t miss, and found the far corner to make it 1-1 after 30 minutes.

There were still a few cracks appearing on the rare occasion Lido did manage to break. The gap between the Bluebirds defence and midfield was a bit stretched at times, leading to the visitors picking-up the ball between the lines.

Defender David Vincent always seemed to be in the right place to mop-up any potential threat however, not the quickest of players by any means, but reads the game as well as anyone.

Shortly before the half, Jones was once again testing Hanbury, who was beaten for the final time as the tricky winger found another cut back, this time to James Young on the edge of the box.

The midfielder had all day to pick his spot, which he did superbly into the top corner to make it 2-1 at the break.

Second-half

Just when you expected Trethomas to kick-on and put this one to bed, the side one from bottom in the Cymru South tied the game up.

A cross cleared only as far as captain Damon Thomas on the edge of the area was caught flush by the forward.

Brushing off the fingertips of Irving, he could do nothing as was the power behind the ball; straight into the top corner.

Perhaps a little over confident after the goal, Lido committed a lot of men forward for a corner, which was cleared to the lively Jones near the halfway line.

Some lovely touches and a burst of pace saw him clear two men before reaching the box and preparing to shoot.

On his backswing however, 16-year-old Kieran Jenkins caught him leaving referee Ieuan Lewis no choice but to send him off and award a spot kick.

Tedstone stepped-up after a fairly quiet game, still fresh off a hamstring injury.

It was a solid enough penalty into the bottom left corner, but keeper Ben Haines was more than equal to it. A strong glove kept his side in the game.

For the next 20 minutes or so, the contest became a hugely frustrating one for the fans, players, and coaches.

Credit to Lido, they sat in well and made it extremely difficult, but it was a classic case of ten-man syndrome from Trethomas.

Expecting more chances and space, everyone piled forward leading to defenders playing the attempted balls through as opposed to the midfielders who would normally be in that position.

It was only when the likes of Gameson and Young got a hold of it did the Bluebirds really start to put pressure on and open the game up.

The addition of Kallum Thomas from the bench was a welcomed one. It was probably his best day so far in a Bluebirds shirt, which saw him make some great runs into the box.

He was involved again when after what felt like an eternity of the ball bobbling around in the Lido box, it eventually came to Thomas on the edge.

Putting his foot through it and aiming goal-bound was about all he could do with a sea of bodies in front of him, but it fizzed through everyone and found the net.

A roar of relief more than anything was made by the 200 spectators on the night.

With less than ten minutes to go, Trethomas managed the game out fairly comfortably.

Young was still running around making every tackle. He’d be pick of the bunch if pushed for a man of the match.

The whistle went and it was a feeling of ‘job done’. A bounce-back victory which steadies the ship after a dip in form.

The Bluebirds return to the top of the table with other sides to play today (Saturday October 12).

Reaction

Bluebirds manager Mark Dunford spoke to Caerphilly Observer after the game and said: “I thought we were excellent in possession during the first-half and worked the patterns really well.

“They got a goal on the break and unfortunately that’s us at the moment. We keep conceding really poor goals.

“I just spoke to my assistant Adam Raymond and we said if you’re conceding two every game, it’s always going to be a tough gig.”

On how his side played with a man advantage, Dunford said: “It’s difficult. We’ve been on the other side and made it tricky for teams too.

“You’ve got to keep doing the right things and making the right decisions. I don’t think it’s a huge advantage to have an extra man, but we did change shape to look for the goal.

“I think Kallum Thomas’ influence was immense, he was brilliant after coming on.

“In the end, we had the snap chance and put it away.”

Finally, asked how big this win feels, Dunford said: “We needed this however it came. The three points are huge in putting us back on track.

“We’ve been playing alright but that doesn’t always lead to results. We just need to stop leaking these silly goals and hopefully kick-on from here.”