Although by no means at their best, Flint still managed to carve out several good chances, including four one on one opportunities, but were unable to take one, and that failure ultimately meant they left Old Road with just the solitary point rather than all three.
It took the Silkmen a long time to come to terms with the sloping, tight pitch, and one could argue they never quite mastered it, on an afternoon when they all too often failed to pick up the second ball, gifting possession back to the home side.
Florian Yonsian had the first sight of goal for the visitors, having won his battle for possession against a defender following a long ball, he tried a curling effort that just crept wide of the post.
Ferry then replied with a good little spell of pressure. First, on 33 minutes, Jasper Payne got on the end of an excellent cross delivered from the left, and headed narrowly wide of the target. Barely a minute later they probably should have taken the lead, but for an excellent triple save by Jack Flint. The Silkmen dallied on clearing the ball from their left side, and Ryan Bevan won back possession, before cutting the ball back to Tyler Brock, who was excellently placed in a central position just inside the box. Flint flung himself to his right to parry the shot, before getting up to block from Payne who pounced on the loose ball, and then completed the hat-trick by pawing the ball away from the head of Tom Walters in the nick of time.
Luke Mariette produced a nicely weighted ball from the centre of midfield to set Elliott Reeves away on 39 minutes. The striker initially did well, nodding the ball into his path to advance on the Ferry goal. But as he got nearer, a combination of a bad bobble and a poor touch meant Ferry keeper Rhys Wilson was able to come out and collect just in front of the Flint forward before he could get his shot away.
Just before the break, Reeves headed just wide after he had been played in from a nicely worked free kick.
Ferry had the opening chance of the second period, when Walters hit a snapshot that flashed just wide of the post.
From a corner delivered by Jake Phillips on 54 minutes, Harry Owen rose highest to meet it sweetly, only to see his header come back off the bar. A couple of minutes later, Yonsian was through on goal, after Josh Jones played a long ball into his path. But as he tried to round the keeper, Wilson bravely dived on the ball at the striker’s feet.
Then Reeves profited from a defensive mix up in the midfield to latch onto the ball and sprint through on goal, only to be denied once more by Wilson as he stuck out a big hand to get a vital touch on the ball and divert it away.
The opening goal arrived on 67 minutes, with a classy assist from Ben Hughes. He spotted Reeves’ run and lofted a fine weighted ball to find his teammate. As Wilson came out to try and close down the danger, Reeves reached the ball fist, and poked it past the keeper from the angle of the 6 yard box.
Having finally made the breakthrough, Flint were only able to hold onto the advantage for five minutes. An attack down the right for the hosts was initially repelled at the near post by Owen’s header, when he blocked the cross, but he was unable to get sufficient purchase on the ball, and it spun more up in the air rather than away from goal. With the Flint defence momentarily disorientated, it was returned swiftly into the area, and Kian Jenkins was on hand to flick a neat header into the goal.
Having clawed their way back, Ferry now had some new found impetus, and they went in search of the winner. Caleb Demery hit a low shot from the edge of the area, that would have crept inside the post, but Flint dived to his right to produce the save.
In the final minute of normal time, the Silkmen had a golden opportunity to secure all 3 points, as Yonsian raced away once more, with only Wilson to beat. But once again the home keeper came out on top, as Yonsian ran straight into him with the ball.
Whilst not the most cohesive performance by any stretch of the imagination, Flint still had more than enough opportunities to win the game, but will take some comfort from the fact they have kept their unbeaten run going and taken 7 points from a possible 9 over the last three games.
Report by Nigel Sheen
Line Ups :
Briton Ferry Llansawel – R. Wilson, L. Bates, R. Dyer (J. Rickard 70), A. Gammond (c), R. Bevan, K. Williams (K. Evans 65) T. Brock (R. Owen 70), T. Price, T. Walters (E. Sage 70), J. Payne (C. Demery 70), K. Jenkins. Unused Sub – W. Fuller
Flint Town United – J. Flint, B. Beaumont, M. Burke (I. Lee 70), L. Mariette (T. Mfuni 53), H. Owen (c), S. Fofana, J. Phillips, B. Hughes, E. Reeves (H. Peagram 86), F. Yonsian, J. Jones. Unused Subs – L. Murphy (GK), G. Maire, H. Cartwright
Flint MOM – Jack Flint (deserves the accolade for his fantastic triple save)
