Aber’s Niall Flint converted an 85th minute penalty to deny Flint a share of the spoils, which they had fully deserved after dominating large periods of the game. But it was a familiar story for the Silkmen, who were guilty of not taking their chances, and on occasions making the wrong decision in the final third, meaning that they once again came away with nothing from a match they should have at least taken a point from.
The first half was a goalless affair, with the home side generally relying on the long ball to try and make inroads, whilst Flint enjoyed the more controlled possession, but were unable to penetrate the Aber rearguard, although Okera Simmonds was posing quite a threat.
Then, just on the stroke of half time, Alex Darlington’s free kick for the Seasiders went just wide of the target, with Harry Allen in the Flint goal looking to have been beaten.
Simmonds continued to torment the Aber defence in the second period, and on 55 minutes got into a dangerous position inside the box, but could only shoot over the bar. A couple of minutes later, Harry Owen met a Larnell Cole corner, but was unable to get over the ball sufficiently to direct his header under the bar.
Danny Harrison then tried his luck with a long range volley as the ball came back out to him, but it flashed wide of the post.
Against the run of play, Flint were rocked in the 65th minute by an Aberystwyth goal. A tussle for possession in the middle of the park resulted in a Flint player lofting a ball back in the direction of his own goal. Aber captain Jack Thorn reacted smartly and nipped in just ahead of Allen and poked it past the keeper.
Flint responded with more urgency, and Bobby Beaumont had a couple of decent chances in quick succession, first with a goal bound shot that was blocked, then with a header from a few yards out that went over.
The introduction of Ben Hughes from the bench paid immediate dividends for Flint, as he scored the Silkmen’s equaliser within a minute of coming on. He was involved in the early stages of the move, which saw Tyler Garratt deliver a ball into the box, that Beaumont headed back across goal towards Cole, who provided a nice cushioned header down to Hughes. The youngster met the ball on the volley just as it was dropping, to send his shot into the corner of the net and register his first senior goal for the Silkmen on 81 minutes.
Unfortunately, after working hard to get back into the game, Flint then conceded a sloppy penalty to habd the advantage straight back to Aber. From a long throw into the box, Jack Hindle attempted to volley clear, but in doing so, connected with an incoming Aber player, catching him in the head as he stooped to challenge for the ball. Niall Flint stepped up to send Allen the wrong way and restore Aber’s lead from the penalty spot.
The visitors tried in vain to mount another comeback, even sending Allen up into the fray in the final moments, but it was all in vain, and Aber held on for the three points.
Line Ups :
Aberystwyth Town – L. Jenkins, T. Rimmer, H. Arnison, L. Bradford, S. Litchfield, J. Thorn (c), D. Evans, I. Lewis, J. Owen (S. Davies 63), N. Flint, A. Darlington (C. Edge 78). Unused Subs – T. Owen (GK), P. Perry, S. Phillips, J. Jones
Flint Town United – H. Allen, J. Carroll (M. Cadwallader 50), B. Beaumont, A. Stephens, H. Owen, D. Harrison (B. Hughes 80), L. Cole, J. Owen (c), J. Hindle, T. Garratt, O. Simmonds. Unused Subs – D. Szczepaniak, O. Ibrahim, L. Ellis, H. Brindley-Peagram, E. Akobeto
Flint MOM – Larnell Cole (a dynamic midfield presence)
