Goytre - 0

Risca -0

IT was a day for the keepers in Goytre's home encounter with Risca, after an abundance of engaging goal-mouth action ended in a 0-0 draw.

Club chairman Paul Greenhalgh told the Chronicle, "Although no-one netted for either side during the match, it wasn't one of those boring encounters where each team cancels the other out, in fact the opposite was true.

"It was a really entertaining game of end-to-end action, and each team deserved the point. The fact that no-one scored was solely down to the quality of the performances put in by both goalkeepers."

Seven minutes in and a pass from Kevin Wallace fell to Mark Jones, who put in a long ball for Phil Melville to take on his chest before unleashing a volley on the Risca goal.

The away keeper Matthew Long put in a cracking save to deny Melville and the standard was set for the remainder of the game .

Following a period of cat and mouse, a quick ball from Risca ended with a neat little cross into the Goytre box that passed just in-between a sliding Risca attacker and Goytre's keeper Gareth Williams, neither of whom were able to make contact.

The ball eventually wound up at the feet of Lee Waddon who belted it upfield for Mark Jones to beat his marker, but whose shot just went over the bar.

The half ended with a show-stopping save by Gareth Williams after Kevin Wallace was robbed of possession just outside of his own penalty area.

Ten minutes into the second-half and the first incident worthy of note came when Goytre conceded a needless free-kick out on the wide.

The well-worked set-piece was floated into the near post by Risca, but once again Williams pulled another top notch save from the top drawer and just finger-tipped the ball over the post.

The resulting corner was taken and cleared as Goytre went up-field, and a cross by substitute James Wilkins found Mark Jones, but the Risca keeper smothered the shot and yet again denied the board of any points.

In the last ten minutes, both sides made substitutions in a view to winning the game rather than settling for the draw, but the match was never going to be anything else, as the final whistle blew and the spoils were shared.

Greenhalgh added, "A single point is better than none, we played well, and at least we've got over the losing blip that was last week's performance against AFC Porth.

"Although it was only a draw we've now moved up three places and currently sit seventh in the Welsh League Division Three table.

"Being in the top half of the division at this point in the season is a good result for us, and everyone in the camp is very optimistic at the moment about the coming games."

Goytre will return to league action a week on Saturday when they meet Llantwit Fardre at Plough Road.