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After police were called to the last Caerphilly Athletic v Aber Valley match, hundreds of fans swarmed to Abertridwr Park on Saturday April 6 to watch the highly-anticipated return fixture.

The drama on the field lived-up to billing too. Inside the opening ten minutes the hosts were 2-0 to the good thanks to goals from Zak Thomas and Nathan Radzimierski.

Caerphilly battled back to 2-2 through captain Jonathan Davies and John Harding before Aber took a narrow 3-2 lead into the half after a breathless opening 45 minutes.

Aber pulled away in the second-half and ran out 6-2 winners to claim bragging rights, leaving Caerphilly just one from bottom in the South Wales Alliance Premier League.

Kick-off

It was touch and go whether or not the game would actually go ahead. A very late pitch inspection was eventually given the green light by referee Mark Hulbert.

It was still pretty boggy in midfield though, meaning both sides opted to keep the ball in the air as much as possible, looking to go long and wide in search of better ground.

This ultimately led to the first goal. A throw-in deep down the right touchline for Aber found Zak Thomas, who guided his volley brilliantly into the top corner past keeper Christopher Alexander.

It wasn’t long before the hosts were celebrating again, this time Nathan Radzimierski with his first of three on the day.

A chip into the left channel by Jacob James found Radzimierski who was fast being closed down by Alexander.

The keeper wasn’t quick enough though, and a nice dink by the winger bobbled over the muddy ground and into the net to double Aber’s lead.

The hosts continued to have the better chances even after the goals. They had the wind in their favour, making balls over the top difficult to deal with for Caerphilly.

A free-kick on the edge of the area gave the visitors a chance to get back in the game, which they took through captain Jonathan Davies.

He needed a bit of help however, the shot was from some way out and not especially well struck. It bobbled a couple of times before somehow beating Niall Reed in between the posts.

Caerphilly didn’t care though. 2-1 and game on after 20 minutes.

The visitors were now growing into the game having scored, a blocked shot led to a corner giving them another chance to get on terms.

Davies curled a beautiful ball into the back post, that might have been going in anyway. It didn’t matter though as John Harding was there to get his head to the ball and bring things all square. 2-2.

Before the visitors finished celebrating however, they were picking the ball out of their net once again.

A huge throw again, this time down the left by Jordan Carter.

It wasn’t clear who had the final touch, but it went down as an Alexander own goal. The keeper definitely should have been stronger in the air either way.

Aber looked determined to kill the game off this time. There were big calls for a pen when John Edwards went down in the box, but the referee waved play on.

As half-time approached, Caerphilly did have a few minutes on top, with the ball in the net at one point.

A great move down the right saw the ball crossed into striker Harding. He finished well but was deemed ahead of the ball. The Aber bench jeered at Harding’s protests as he trudged back.

The whistle blew after a great 45 minutes for the neutral, or Aber Valley fan. They had a narrow 3-2 lead but it didn’t feel like that would be enough.

Second-half

Caerphilly started the second-half with the same momentum they ended the last, and managed to string a few passes together.

They failed to convert possession into goals though, and after an hour played it was Aber Valley who were back in the driving seat.

There was nothing fancy or intricate about their fourth goal however. A goal kick from Reed bounced two or three times before finding Edwards through on goal.

With the keeper in no man’s land, Edwards finished low into the bottom corner to make it 4-2.

That seemed to knock any life Caerphilly had left, and for the rest of the match it was damage limitation only for the visitors.

They didn’t help themselves out though, a throw-in near their own box to Arron Hill was short and jumped on by the lively Radzimierski, who had a great game.

One touch and he finished past Alexander who couldn’t get close.

Radzimierski soon had his third of the afternoon after another ball over the top wasn’t cleared by Caerphilly.

Similar to his other finishes, he drew the keeper in before poking the ball past him into the corner. The hundreds watching from the banking were really enjoying themselves now.

Thomas was clapped-off having had a good game too. Caerphilly tried for a consolation but it never came.

The referee blew his whistle for the final time giving Aber an invaluable three points in their bid to stay clear of the drop. They should be fine given the games in hand they have over the four teams below them.

For Caerphilly Athletic, that loss sends them down to 11th, one from the bottom. With just four games left, they’ll need a few big results if they’re to stay up.