DESPITE still awaiting the return of players from holiday, Mardy welcomed back several seniors for a midweek Gwent Premier One game at Coed Eva Athletic, reports CLIVE HARRY.

Coming off the back of several disappointing results, Mardy put together some promising attacks, and forced a number of corners just before the half-hour mark which were scrambled clear.

But they got their reward when a corner flighted to the far post by Owen Vaughan was headed back across goal into the far corner by Daniel Grist for his first Mardy goal.

Two minutes later it should have been two, when Nathan Price timed his run perfectly to spring the offside trap and shoot past home keeper Jonathan Tattershall, only for the referee to disallow it, prompting heated protests.

Nevertheless, seven minutes before the interval another set piece caused confusion in the Coed defence and Dan Palmer set up Price to score with a header close in.

But with the setting sun causing problems, a slip by keeper Ben Shooter led to Damien Brean pulling one back for a 2-1 half-time score.

Mardy had another shock after the break when Brean made it 2-2 with a powerful header from a corner.

But a Mardy corner four minutes later proved decisive though, Vaughan’s inswinging delivery finding Jamie 'Totti' Laurent for 3-2.

The visitors then brought on 16-year-olds Ellis Morgan and Jacob Watkins, the latter the sixth from that age group to appear for the 1sts.

Coed Eva pushed forward in search of an equaliser and with Shooter sustaining a back injury and being substituted, the final whistle brought delight and relief.

Saturday saw Mardy brought back to earth though with a 5-1 home defeat to Gwent Premier Cefn Fforest in the County Motors Cup, in a match filled with farce.

Mardy defended resolutely until 15 minutes when a shot rebounded off the bar to keeper Kris Purnell, the official whistling immediately for a goal when the ball had nowhere near crossed the line.

The derision and anger increased when a clear Fforest penalty box hand ball was missed, resulting in ‘Totti’ being sin-binned for protesting.

Half-time arrived with it still 1-0, but the visitors made it 2-0 on 57 minutes, before a third arrived with keeper Purnell lying prone with a dislocated shoulder and play allowed to continue.

Mardy pulled a goal back but Fforest scored two further late goals, the last eight minutes into added time.

The 1sts host Ponthir on Wednesday (September 3, ko 6.15) before travelling to Panteg on Saturday, when Mardy 2nds host Forgeside.

Elsewhere, Blaenavon Blues won a penalty shoot out 6-5 at Seven Sisters in the Ardal South Cup on Friday, having been pegged back to 2-2 deep in stoppage time.

Second half goals from Matty Burns and Nathan Watts put Blues in control, only for a controversial penalty with nine minutes left for 2-1, a Blaenavon red card, and a 98th-minute headed leveller.

Blues keeper Luca Bullock then made a great penalty save only for the referee to order a retake, but all six Blues penalty takers – Burns, Bailey Perry, Alex Berrow, Jude Bull, Kai Burton and Will Priest – then hit the net.

Goytre also won 1-0 at Undy thanks to a Joe Massaro fifth-minute stoppage time goal.

But Abergavenny Town crashed out 3-0 at Taffs Well, and will hope to bounce back at home to Brynna FC on Friday (September 5, kick-off 7.30pm) in the FAW Trophy.