Having triumphed at the Essity Stadium on the opening day of the league season, Met successfully completed the league double, thanks to two goals in the final seven minutes, although the final scoreline was somewhat harsh on the visitors who pushed the hosts all the way, and succeeded in frustrating them for long periods of the game.
Jack Flint, in particular, was in inspired form, and the game at times developed into a personal duel between him and Cardiff’s number 9, Lewis Rees, with Flint invariably coming out on top. In front of Flint, Izaack Lambert was making vital tackles, timing them to perfection, and Sidi Fofana and Ben Hughes also caught the eye with good, solid displays.
Met were very comfortable on the ball, and when given time to play it around, they were capable of carving holes in the Flint rearguard, to create good chances for themselves.
One such instance occurred on 12 minutes, with the ball finally played into Eliot Evans on the edge of the box, and Flint was called upon to make the first of his contributions, as he pounced down on the shot, and then gathered it in safely.
Fofana sprayed a lovely ball out to Jake Phillips, wide on the right, five minutes later, as Flint mounted their first serious attack. His cross found Josh Jones who was running across the face of the 6 yard box, but the ball got trapped in between his feet, allowing Alex Lang to collect it.
Rees was then picked out with a fine crossfield ball for the home side, and Flint plunged down to his right to block the shot, and then recovered to tip the follow up from Ryan Reynolds over the bar.
On 25 minutes, Phillips fed Jones down the Flint right, and he showed good vision to pick out Luke Mariette who had made a great run into the box, but the midfielder didn’t connect properly, and another fine chance got away from the Silkmen.
A quick counter by Met on 37 minutes saw Rees receive the ball on the edge of the area, and he drove in a shot that Flint pushed out for a corner.
At the interval, Flint were forced to reorganise defensively as they lost Isaac Lee to illness. And in the opening five minutes or so, they looked a bit shaky as they tried to adjust their shape. Inside the opening minute of the second period, Rees again received the ball about 18 yards out, showed a great bit of skill to turn inside and hit a shot that looked to be heading inside the far post, until Flint stretched and got fingertips on it to send it the other side of the upright.
Ben Hughes made a surging run forward on 53 minutes, and found Ben Wynne, whose shot had Lang scrambling, as he managed to block the effort but couldn’t hold it. Phillips followed up but Lang did well to recover and deny the midfielder.
A defensive mix up in the Silkmen’s box almost proved costly shortly after, when one touch too many inside their own 18 yard box gifted possession to Met. But it was Flint to the rescue once more as he spread himself well to deny Sam Jones from close range.
Although the visitors were now soaking up a lot of pressure, they still looked a threat going forward, especially down the right, and when Mariette found Phillips with a delightful ball on 67 minutes, it looked as though the deadlock might be broken. But Lang pulled off a great acrobatic save to thwart the initial effort, before the follow up was dragged agonisingly across the front of the far post.
A Reynolds long range shot was brilliantly shovelled around the post by Flint with just under 20 minutes remaining, as it looked as though the keeper would not be beaten.
Then, at the other end, Wynne forced a flying save from Lang with 10 minutes remaining, after Bobby Beaumont had set him up perfectly.
However, a few minutes later, Met finally made the break through, when from a throw in, the ball was played back to Reynolds on the edge of the box and this time he crashed it into the net off the underside of the bar, as Flint’s (and Flint’s !) resistance was finally broken.
The scoreline was doubled on 87 minutes, giving it a somewhat unfair reflection, when Mikey Burke slid to cut out a cross from the left, but could only succeed it diverting the ball into his own net.
The next game for the Silkmen is not until Boxing Day when old rivalries resume at the Essity Stadium when we face Connah’s Quay Nomads (kick off 2-30pm).
Report by Nigel Sheen
Line Ups :
Cardiff Met – A. Lang, M. Chubb, J. Edwards, J. Veale, J. Clay, R. Reynolds, E. Evans (A. Roskrow 65), CJ Craven (D. Kabongo 82), Lewis Rees, S. Jones (C. Wright 78). T. Vincent. Unused Subs – O. Saunders (GK), G. Morgan, E. Cadwallader, C. Gibbings
Flint Town United – J. Flint, I. Lee (B. Wynne 46), M. Burke (T. Mfuni 90), L. Mariette (B. Beaumont 69), H. Owen (c), I. Lambert, J. Phillips, B. Hughes, F. Yonsian, S. Fofana (G. Maire 84), J. Jones. Unused subs – L. Murphy (GK), H. Cartwright
Flint MOM – Jack Flint (pulled off some brilliant saves and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side)
