Gwent Premier One

Aberbargoed Buds 7 Mardy AFC 1

IT proved a calamitous weekend for Mardy AFC, with both senior teams beaten heavily.

The first team were actually in the game at Aberbargoed Buds and competing well at 2-1 down just after the hour mark.

But a dreadful last 30 minutes saw five goals conceded, with the game ending in a 7-1 defeat.

The development squad fared even worse, going down 8-0 away to Sebastopol in a flurry of red and yellow cards, despite only trailing 2-0 with just over half an hour to play.

Aberbargoed started well in Saturday's Gwent Premier One clash and took the lead after just five minutes with a goal from Cade Brewer.

Mardy looked flat early on and conceded again after 22 minutes to a Nathan Morgan strike.

The goal galvanised the visitors and they finally began to get a foothold in the game with the deficit reduced within two minutes, when a Ben Jones pass put top scorer Ross Melrose away to continue his five-game scoring run.

It was 2-1 at the break before an equaliser almost arrived just after the restart when home keeper Gareth Bradford came rushing out of his area only to see the ball taken past him by Melrose.

With the angle too tight to shoot, the Mardy striker crossed to the unmarked Levi Boulter only for the ball to take a horrible bobble just before reaching him, giving a defender time to get across and block his effort.

A minute later, the visitors went close again when a goal-bound Dan Palmer header from a corner was cleared off the line with Bradford stranded.

The Buds hit back with a shot that cannoned off the bar on 55 minutes though, and then scored their third just after the hour when a cross was spilled by keeper Matthew Davis and Gruffydd Bray was on hand to net.

The game still remained competitive on the difficult pitch, but a brilliant goal on 74 minutes put Buds clear, when a ball into the area was blocked and looped up only for sub Ryan Morgans to score with a spectacular bicycle kick with his back to goal.

Mardy still weren't finished and a minute later, Owen Vaughan was played through only for his well struck shot to be saved low down by Bradford.

Unfortunately, the final ten minutes of the game turned into an unmitigated disaster though, with a further three goals conceded by the visitors, with two of them being worthy of a finer setting.

The first came on 82 minutes when Jayden Griffiths’ long-range effort fizzed into the top corner, although whether it was a shot or a cross was open to interpretation.

Ryan Morgans then scored his second before Buds completed the scoring with a goal which was arguably the best of the afternoon.

An attack had been foiled by Mardy only for the ball to balloon to Buds sub Craig Elsdon around 25 yards out, who showed great technique keeping his eye on the ball to volley an unstoppable shot into the top corner seconds before the final whistle.

The loss leaves Mardy 12th, five points above the bottom two.

This weekend, the team will be looking to bounce back at home to Nantyglo whilst the development squad are without a game.