The 1st Team have advanced to the next stage of the Amateur Cup after a tough Friday night fixture against F.C. Tredegar on a Friday the 13th where it would prove an untimely end for one team’s cup journey.
The 3G pitch at Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre provides the backdrop for a war of attrition between the two teams who have already tangled in league action.
Luke Lewis opened scoring up with a lovely finish off a slick delivery by Zak Kelly, who had a superb run-out for the Excelsiors. The damp, dreary evening seemed as though it could be even worse when the opponents began to up their game and put pressure on Dan Parsons and the defensive line, but both teams went into the halftime period at 0-1, with Abertillery maintaining a thin lead.
Shaun Smith dinked the second goal in to create a more solid footing early in the second half, but F.C. Tredegar would strike a revenge blow with a sizzling strike off a free kick that left Dan Parsons with nowhere to go.
With end-to-end action for both teams, it was evident the Excelsiors were playing ‘hang-on’ as best they could, even bringing on the returning Lewis Jones for the first time since his season-ending injury for Abergavenny Town FC, but pressure eased off when the surrogate home team suffered the deadly blow of a red card. At 10 men, a depleted but defiant F.C. Tredegar attempted to rally a comeback but couldn’t mount the offensive flurry needed and when Shaun Smith took the keeper one way and scored the other, it was game over with 8 minutes left on the clock.
FT
FC Tredegar 1 – 3 Abertillery Excelsiors
Scorers:
Shaun Smith (2)
Luke Lewis