Llandudno and Cardiff Met met in the Premier League regular season on Saturday, with the visitors taking all three points with a 1-0 win. The result keeps Cardiff Met moving comfortably in the upper half of the table, while Llandudno remain rooted in the lower half after another defeat.
And here's the thing about this match — Llandudno had more of the ball but very little to show for it. The hosts dominated possession at 54 per cent, threw 87 attacks at the Cardiff Met defence, but only managed one shot on target all afternoon. Cardiff Met, by then, were content to absorb pressure and wait for their moment.
The game opened with a yellow card for Llandudno in the 29th minute, and they were never really able to settle into a rhythm. J. Payne came off on the hour mark for the hosts, and Cardiff Met responded with a double change in the 63rd minute, bringing on both M. Williams and M. Cadwallader. Llandudno added N. Flint a minute later, but the substitutions only highlighted how thoroughly they were being outplayed.
We had tipped Cardiff Met to win this one at 66 per cent confidence, and the visitors delivered exactly that. J. Edwards finally broke the deadlock in the 68th minute, and though Llandudno continued to press, Cardiff Met's defence held firm. The guests had four shots on target to Llandudno's single attempt, and that one effort proved decisive.
There were more bookings to come, including a pair of yellow cards in quick succession around the 48th minute for the hosts, and another in stoppage time. J. Faux was the final substitution for Llandudno in the 81st minute, but the result was already beyond doubt. Cardiff Met refused to go away, and they closed out the game with discipline.
The statistics tell a clear story. Llandudno's 87 attacks and eight shots wide of the target produced nothing, while Cardiff Met's 59 attacks and nine off-target efforts were enough to secure the win. The clean-sheet run came to an end for Cardiff Met, but the three points mattered more than the goal conceded.
Cardiff Met now sit seventh with 21 points from 12 games, while Llandudno remain 10th on five wins and 16 points. The gap between them is growing, and Saturday's result did nothing to bridge it.
