Mardy U16 - 3

Malpas U16 - 1

BELIEF and confidence were the two integral watchwords for the Mardy U16 side who sunk high flying Malpas in last weekend's Gwent County cup Cup Final.

The youngsters took to the field at 100mph, and showed a bellyful of guts and determination to win the 50/50 balls and any scrap of play that presented itself.

After failing to fully capitalise on a handful of early chances, it was only a matter of time before the Mardy breakthrough came.

Opportunity knocked when Jamie Rees was pulled down outside the box.

The resulting free kick was floated into the back post where Tom Morgan scrambled it over the line to take the lead.

The tempo of the game remained hard-hitting and free with chances falling for both teams.

Ten minutes before time, Mardy bagged a second goal, when Tyler Lewis was put through one on one with the goalkeeper and managed to squeeze his shot into the corner of the goal to give Mardy a 2-0 cushion going into the interval.

The second half began in the same vein as the first, with Mardy refusing to give an inch.

However, a speculative lob at the Mardy keeper Rob Turner, who up until that point had dealt with everything else comfortably, ended up in the net to resurrect Malpas's hope and apply the pressure.

The Mardy defensive line of CJ Woodhouse, Matthew Rudd, Tom Morgan, and Tom Jenkins did well to soak up the resulting Malpas onslaught, and threw in their all to keep the opposition at bay.

The Midfield of Dan Richards, Jamie Rees, James Smith and Connor Freize covered every inch of the pitch, until Malpas heads seemed to drop as they realised it was Mardy's day and that an equaliser was not an option.

With Joe Hooten up front linking well with the midfield, chance were abundant, but the killer goal came when Dan Richards took advantage of a tired defence, to beat two players and calmly slot the ball into the left hand corner for a memorable Mardy victory.

Coach Andy Bates said, "On behalf of myself and all the parents, I would like to thank all the boys for a day to remember and a successful cup run which will live long in the memory."