Mardy returned to winning ways after their Open Cup Final disappointment with a 2-0 Langdon Cup triumph against a battling Pontnewynydd side, reports Clive Harry.

Mardy started well and after eight minutes, a good passing move gave Aaron Norman a shooting chance which he put just over.

The game developed into an interesting contrast in styles with Mardy attempting to spread the ball wide and Pont adopting a more direct aerial game which gave them a half chance on 20 minutes which was headed over by Nathan Davies.

Norman then went close almost immediately with a close range header which was turned over by Pont keeper Ashley Paine.

Mardy were getting the upper hand, and Dan Marfell lobbed just wide before Paine again came to the rescue with a brilliant close range save from another Norman header.

The game was beginning to look like a carbon copy of Mardy’s previous cup final against Pontypool with chances coming and going before they were awarded a penalty for hand ball just before the half-hour mark.

Incredibly, they then missed from the spot for the second week running, with Jamie Laurent’s well struck shot being turned aside by Paine.

But Pont were dealt a blow ten minutes before the break when influential midfielder David Edwards pulled a hamstring and hobbled off, although they nevertheless went close shortly after when Davies headed just over.

With the game goalless at the break, Mardy supporters were fearing a repeat of the Open Cup outcome, particularly when they went close twice at the start of the second half, firstly through a Laurent shot which curled just wide and then an Owen Vaughan cross-cum-shot which was tipped over by Paine.

Fortunately, heads didn’t drop and Mardy’s two Duracell bunnies in Dan Marfell and Dan Wait never stopped running with the former prompting joyous, and no doubt relieved, celebrations with the opening goal just after the hour mark.

There looked to be no real danger when the ball reached Marfell just outside the box but a burst of pace took him past a static defence and, with the angle narrowing, Paine was finally beaten with a shot lashed past him into the far corner.

Matt Wham and Wait then both went close but with time running out, Pont mounted a number of dangerous attacks through set pieces with one goalmouth scramble threatening an equaliser before Ellis French cleared what looked to be a goalbound shot on the edge of the six-yard box.

The close shave prompted Mardy to raise their game again and they began to camp in the corners to run the clock down and forced a number of set pieces of their own before a brilliant goal three minutes into injury time settled the result.

The clincher came about following some good work by Laurent but Norman still had work to do when he received the ball just outside the area with his back to the goal.

However, he spun and blasted an unstoppable left foot shoot into the top corner to spark celebrations that went on until the early hours.