West Pontnewydd - 2

Abergaveny Thursdays - 10

THE Thursdays upped the ante and turned in a powerhouse of a performance on Saturday which saw them destroy West Pontnewydd to the tune of 10-2.

Playing on a below-par pitch, everything thing that the Thursdays had been working on pre-season came together in a dynamic, dancing display that left Pontnewydd punch-drunk and reeling.

Club secretary Chris Wilkins told the Chronicle, "Initially the ref didn't want to let the game go-ahead as there was so much cut grass on a pitch, that to be honest wasn't really up to Gwent County standard.

"It was more like a farm, but the lads wanted the match to go-ahead and they were determined to play despite the poor surface."

The Thursdays goals came thick and fast from Steve Collet, Ben Bannon, Leon Gilchrist, Matthew Hendry, Mike Pengrelli (who scored a class 40 yard lob), and Nick Hammett who replaced his brother to score a sensational hat-trick in the second-half.

Wilkins said, "We were a bit cagey for the first 10 minutes and went 1-0 down after a superb strike from a free-kick.

"We managed to get back in to the game and equalised soon after but West Pontnewydd took the lead again after a speculative 35-40 yard strike."

In a game that was always destined to become a goal fest, the Thursdays could have been on the receiving end, if not for goalkeeper Anthony Moriaty's heroics.

Wilkins explained, "Anthony deserves a special mention, because after taking a nasty clout to the mouth, he stood up and produced an outstanding penalty save to stop West Pontnewydd going 3-1 up and turning the game.

"Anthony started the season as a replacement for Tom Indge, and produced a first class performance in a game which saw five goals in the first 20 minutes."

Wilkins added, "I think the reason we played so well on Saturday is that for once we had a really strong squad and bench, gelled as a team, and played with real confidence.

"It's definitely a result to build on, and funnily enough our next match is actually a cup-tie against West Pontnewydd in two weeks time."

After a solid pre-season, which saw them lose only one game, The Abergavenny Thursdays second team start their season in the Gwent Central league this Saturday against Panteg.

Manager Mark Hefferman has worked hard with this side, and blooded a lot of new players, so it will be interesting to see what the future holds.