A hugely contentious penalty award for the visitors, saw Lewis Rees put them ahead from the spot in the first half, but Flint eventually hit back to equalise through Brandon Diau’s close range header late on to grab a share of the spoils.
Met took the lead on 21 minutes, after a defence splitting pass played in full back Matthew Chubb, who raced into the box. Anthony Stephens came across to challenge and looked to have taken the ball cleanly, before Chubb collided with him and tumbled over. Amazingly, and to the utter disbelief of the Flint players, the referee pointed straight to the penalty spot. Lewis Rees stepped up and planted his shot into the corner, just eluding the best efforts of Harry Allen who dived the right way.
Up until that point, Flint had looked the more threatening. On the 10 minute mark, Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro won the ball and set Okera Simmonds away. As he was closing in on goal a good last minute interception took the ball off his toes, just as he was about to pull the trigger. Then, a minute before the penalty award, some good work by Bobby Beaumont on the right saw him get to the bye-line and loft a dangerous ball into the 6 yard box. n excellent defensive header denied Mark Cadwallader the opportunity to connect with the cross.
After the goal, Met were more than happy to sit in, and keep a well organised defensive shape, that Flint, despite all their honest endeavour, were unable to break down.
Chances were at a premium, with both sides restricted to long range efforts.
It seemed that getting the ball wide and whipping in crosses would be Flint’s best hope of a breakthrough, but they were unable to do this often enough.
Simmonds did manage to fashion some space for himself on the right with about 6 minutes remaining, and looked to deliver a dangerous ball, which was blocked for a corner. Stephens dead ball delivery was initially cut out at the near post at the expense of another corner. At the second attempt, he put in a longer ball towards the back post, and the towering Diau was on hand to head in from close range and restore parity to the scores.
The goal visibly lifted Flint, and they now looked an altogether different proposition. From the restart they attacked once more with purpose, and Larnell Cole beat the offside trap before delivering a teasing ball across the face of goal. Ben Hughes was just inches away from making a telling connection, as he stretched in vain to meet the ball.
Although they didn’t emerge with the win they so desperately wanted, a point did at least stop the rot of four successive league defeats for the Silkmen.
Report by Nigel Sheen
Line Ups :
Flint Town United – H. Allen, J. Carroll, O. Ibrahim (L. Cole 29), A. Stephens, H. Owen, D. Harrison (c), B. Diau, B. Beaumont, J-L Akpa-Akpro, M. Cadwallader (B. Hughes 65), O. Simmonds. Unused Subs – A. Johnson (GK), L. Ellis, E. Akobeto, A. Mather
Cardiff Met – A. Lang, M. Chubb, K. McCarthy, A. Jones, E. Lewis, C. Williams (T. Price 75), D. Cabango, C. Baker (c), L. Rees, C. craven, H. Owen. Unused Subs – J. Davies, C. Bullock, E. Humphries
Flint MOM – B. Beaumont (great work rate and an assured performance)
