Pontypridd Town claimed a 3-2 victory over Pontardawe Town in the Welsh Championship South-2 division on Friday evening. The result keeps the hosts second in the table with 13 points from five matches, while Pontardawe remain 14th with just three points. And here's the thing about this fixture — it was always going to be a tight affair between neighbours with very different trajectories this season.
The opening half produced three goals in rapid succession. J. Farrell-Alli opened the scoring in the 32nd minute before T. Evans and C. Farrah struck in the 36th and 38th minutes respectively. To be fair, Pontypridd had looked sharp in their 3-2 win over Treowen Stars just days earlier, and this performance carried that momentum forward.
Pontardawe responded after the restart. E. Edwards pulled one back in the 68th minute, giving the visitors hope of a comeback. By then, the home side had already built enough of a buffer to stay composed. K. Rowe's goal in the 76th minute essentially sealed the result, though the visitors pushed for another equaliser until the final whistle.
The standings tell a clear story. Pontypridd's four wins and one draw from five games has them firmly in contention. Pontardawe's single victory from five matches — that 3-0 win over Cardiff Athletic on August 1st — has not been enough to lift them out of the lower reaches.
This result extends Pontypridd's unbeaten run to five matches and adds to their goal difference advantage. Pontardawe's defeat means they remain four points from safety with only one game played against teams in their immediate vicinity this season.