CARDIFF Men’s 1sts 6 – 2 ABERYSTWYTH Men’s 1sts
CARDIFF OVERCAME a succession of obstacles to retain the Welsh Cup in emphatic fashion. Disadvantaged by external conditions Cardiff cruised to a 3-1 half time lead before repeating the score-line in the second half.
Cardiff made one change from the semi final winning team, with Adam Wise returning at the heart of the defence. With little time for pre match preparation, any thoughts of a shaky performance were dispelled early as Cardiff dominated. Crucially, they managed to turn their advantages in possession and territory into goals, with a typically cool finish from Dom Connor rounding off a neat passing move.
Hogan silenced the home crowd with his part in the second goal. James Ford’s back-pass was played downfield by Cardiff’s keeper as he sent Hogan through on goal. Cardiff were then denied a glorious chance, with Hogan’s cross-shot turned in by captain Andre Stairmand, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Play continued in a similar fashion for most of the half, with Cardiff enjoying the majority of the possession. This seemed to allow for complacency, and Aberystwyth grabbed themselves a lifeline as half time approached.
Not to be outdone, Cardiff scored almost immediately from the restart. Dogged determination from lone striker Kwame Asare set Stairmand away down the left channel, and his cut-back was drilled under the goalkeeper by Hogan.
Aber’s long ball game created several chances early on, and they soon scored another goal from a poor defensive clearance. Cardiff were forced into a change, thankfully substituting Hywel Pegler for the injured Jack Jarvis in midfield; Pegler proved to be the driving force behind Cardiff’s second half performance. Rejuvenating the attack, it was no surprise when he created Cardiff’s 4th goal.
Strong defence hindered impressive play from Hogan and Asare down the right flank, with Pegler eventually receiving the ball deep in midfield. He showed vision and pinpoint accuracy to immediately switch the ball to the unmarked Connor, whose low shot into the bottom corner gave the keeper no chance.
Cardiff stretched their lead to three clear goals before Dom Connor showed tremendous awareness in ignoring the ball from his offside position, allowing Hogan to score. Despite protests that Connor had been in an offside position the referee allowed the goal.
Cardiff could have run riot, as wasteful finishing and some top-drawer saves from Aberystwyth’s keeper kept the score respectable. However, Cardiff then fell victim to a refereeing injustice as Sean Hogan was hacked down on the edge of the box. The referee failed to spot the possible advantage as Connor beared down on goal, and the resulting free kick from Ford was tipped over by the keeper at full stretch.
Aber’s keeper again had to be alert as he made an impressive double save, kicking away Hogan’s low drive before recovering to palm Connor’s follow up effort to safety. Minutes later Connor, striving for a third hat trick of the season, failed when an unsuspecting Hogan inadvertently blocked his stinging goalbound shot on the line.
There was still time for one more goal, and it was Cardiff who rounded off the scoring with A Sare’s well-deserved goal, the big target man poking home from close range after he was found unmarked in the box. Asare has been the unsung hero of Cardiff’s successful season and was delighted to have finished his University career on a high note.
The final whistle sparked celebrations from the Cardiff contingent, which included both the watching womens’ rugby and football teams. Captain Andre Stairmand bowed out with an emotional speech, emphasising his pride at leading such a talented group of players to a hat trick of successes in a remarkable BUSA season.
For many of the players, this game signalled a triumphant end to their university football careers. However, with the nucleus of the team staying on for next season, Cardiff will be looking to build on this season’s successes with another impressive BUSA campaign next time around.
