On the last day of the season, Flint eventually managed to secure their Cymru Premier status, but not before a few heart stopping moments in a frantic 20 minutes. Leading 1-0, news came through that Bala had gone ahead in their game, and within 60 seconds, we were pegged back to 1-1, meaning we were now in the relegation spot on goal difference. Safety once again beckoned when we retook the lead, only to shortly be reduced to 10 men and concede another goal. So we were staring relegation in the face once more. Then, lo and behold, Briton Ferry staged a remarkable turnaround in their game to level the score, and then remarkably go ahead, all in the space of a minute. Whilst in the meantime we were reduced to 9 men, and battled on to hold out for a draw. Quite a remarkable sequence of events, that meant we eventually finished three points clear of Bala, in a really topsy turvy afternoon of football. Oh, and of course we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Briton Ferry Llansawel for not throwing in the towel in their game, when they could so easily have done so, with nothing riding on their outcome, as Haverfordwest were assured of earning the play off spot by thrashing Llanelli 6-0.
There was little sign of the drama that was to come as Flint settled comfortably into the game, and began dictating play. Early pressure on the Met goal almost paid dividends when Lee Jonas headed goalwards from a Jake Phillips corner delivery, only to see Cardiff keeper Ewan Griffiths scramble the ball out on the goalline.
Flint made the breakthrough on 9 minutes, following the first of what would be several controversial refereeing decisions. A long Jack Flint kick picked out Elliott Reeves, who battled for possession with Met’s Toby Raison. The defender got to the ball first, and played a pass back to his keeper, who promptly picked it up and the referee awarded an indirect free kick. The only problem was, the ball appeared to get a nick off Reeves on the way back. The Silkmen made the most of their good fortune, as Phillips laid the ball back to Jake Canavan, who drilled a low shot that took a slight deflection and finished in the corner of the net.
Flint continued to have the better of things in the opening half an hour, and Jonas had a header that crept just wide following another corner, before Osebi Abadaki had a glorious opportunity when he got on the end of another long ball played over the top. He beat the keeper to it, swivelled and lobbed it over Griffiths, only to see the effort cleared from under the bar by Joel Edwards who did really well to get back in the nick of time.
Met’s best chance of the half came when Ben Woollam lost possession, and the ball was crossed into Adam Roscrow who had a free header, but didn’t get the right connection and it was an easy catch for Flint.
The second half saw the game develop into a much more scrappy affair, and Met started posing more of a threat and having a greater share of the ball.
With 20 minutes remaining, a dangerous ball was sent over towards the Flint goal from the right. It looked as though it might have been creeping under the bar, so Jack Flint was forced to take evasive action and touch it over his bar for a corner kick. A quick short corner was played to Harri John, who had loads of space to whip in a curling delivery towards the far post. It was met by Jake Morris who was presented with a free close range header to level the scores.
With the news that Bala had taken the lead in their game, it now meant that relegation was staring Flint in the face. To their credit, the Silkmen responded bravely, and retook the lead on 78 minutes, with a well worked goal. Darren Stephenson, who had just come off the bench, received the ball on the left, out muscled his marker and sent a delivery low into the box. Reeves dummied, and the ball ran on to Harry Owen, who had been pushed up top. He cleverly laid it back into the path of the incoming Ben Hughes who side footed home.
Unfortunately the euphoria was short lived, as just a few minutes later, Met were back on terms. A ball was played through towards Jasper Payne, but Owen looked to have it under control, until he slipped at the vital moment, allowing Payne to take possession. The Flint skipper then bundled him to the ground, which earned him a straight red card from the referee. This was another contentious decision, as there were two defenders converging from each side, and so it was debatable whether Payne was denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. From the free kick, CJ Craven’s shot took a massive deflection off the Flint wall, sending the ball spinning in the opposite direction to where it was originally intended, and it ended up beyond the despairing Jack Flint.
With time running out, it was now a real uphill battle for the Silkmen if they were to preserve their Cymru Premier status. That task suffered another devastating blow when Ben Hughes was red carded for clipping Fumpa Mwandwe, who would have been clear on goal if he had got past Hughes.
But salvation suddenly appeared from an external source as Briton Ferry rattled in two quickfire goals to turn their game around at Bala, and condemn the Lakesiders to defeat and relegation.
It was a day of dramatic highs and lows, and we know that it should never have come to this, but a poor run in, combined with Bala’s improved showing, meant we faced a final day survival battle, which we just about came through by the skin of our teeth. And so we must now make the most of our good fortune and plan for next season, hoping to avoid any similar scenarios.
Report by Nigel Sheen
Line Ups :
Cardiff Met – E. Griffiths, T. Raison, J. Edwards, L. Walsh, B. Soady (J. Williams 70), H. John (O. Good 86), CJ Craven (c), D. Kabongo, F. Mwandwe, J. Payne, A. Roscrow (H. Matthews 70). Unused Subs – S. Seager (GK), J. Stephens, M. Sweetman
Flint Town United – J. Flint, B. Woollam, M. Burke, S. Fofana, H. Owen (c), J. Thorn, J. Phillips, L. Jonas, E. Reeves (M. Purvis 80), J. Canavan (B. Hughes 64), O. Abadaki (D. Stephenson 76). Unused Subs – D. Szczepaniak (GK), B. Wynne, J. Jones,
Flint MOM – Jake Phillips (a calm, controlled performance, kept his head when al around were in danger of losing theirs – particularly the Flint supporters and chairman !!)
