In an amazing and courageous display of guts and grit, the Excelsiors promotion aspirations were abruptly ended with just over 30 seconds left on the clock, as a huge Wattsville FC equaliser guaranteed the visitors a ticket into Division 1 of the Gwent County Football League.

The game started as expected at 100mph, with both sides jostling for control in an emotionally charged clash of titans. A fantastic save from the visitors early on put the point-seekers on notice that the Excelsiors were here to fight and the lads were strong in defence when Wattsville inevitably began their counter attack.

With Jonny Morgan and Callum Williams making waves, the dogfight in the middle of the pitch dominated much of the game as the oneupmanship of each team was brought out for a huge crowd on hand enjoying the game in some blistering April sunshine.

As Wattsville settled, their attempts and attacks at goal became more prevalent and their intentions clear as a near effort reminded the hosts of the danger of their competition. With that being said, Wattsville struggled with a persistent 1st Team barrage, as the lads kept putting the ball in behind the visitors.

As the visitors succumbed to pressure from the 1st Team, the Wattsville attack was contained to the midfield, as captain Brett Morgan held firm in the middle and avoided allowing Wattsville room to create opportunities. With just over 10 minutes left of the opening 45 minutes, Lewis Jones fired a superb effort that bounces off the crossbar, with Dean Morgan’s effort being saved by the man between the sticks.

As the first half drew to a close, Wattsville found themselves weathering the storm of a hungry Excelsiors at 0-0, happy to gain a draw and gain promotion in the process.

The second half was a totally different ballgame, with Dafydd Phillips finding the educated feet of Dean Morgan, with the veteran breaking the deadlock and making it 1-0. Reinvigorated, the 1sts powered through the next few minutes, with Jonny Morgan driving a superb shot at goal that went the wrong side of the post. Wattsville’s response was frantic at best, upset and disgruntled at the sudden change of fortune for the home side.

Brett Morgan and Dean Morgan then showed some of their Abertillery teamwork, as the two wily pitch generals worked in tandem to create opportunity and attempted to push the lead further. Dean Morgan would then find Dafydd Phillips at the edge of goal, but there was just a tad too much on it for the striker to convert chance to goal, which saw Wattsville show real threat on the counter, cutting through the midfield like a scythe.

With the arrival of Shaun Smith on the pitch, the Excelsiors continued their pressing attack, with Wattsville’s response an attempt to pull and drag the players from one side of the pitch to the other, sucking momentum out of the attacks and isolating the 1st Team strikers. The desperation of the visitors began showing with their incessant shots at goal, going high and wide of the mark. Smith once again reminded the opposition he was on the field with a thunderbolt effort that brushed the corner of the crossbar and left the crowd agasp.

The final 5 minutes were raucous and as atmospheric as you’d ever wish to experience when watching a football match, as the fans rallied behind the Excelsiors who looked certain to continue their journey towards potential promotion by a single goal. In the cruelest twist of fate, the visitors broke free from their shackles and overcame the 1st Team’s defence, firing a shot past Dan Parsons that in a split second sucked the air out of the Jim Owen pitch and saw Wattsville find their elusive goal and their desired result. With less than 30 seconds on the clock, the lads watched on with devastation etched on their faces and as the referee blew the whistle, the pitch was filled with Wattsville players, clubmen and supporters as their season ended emphatically with promotion.

Congratulations to Wattsville, who join Ynysddu Welfare in their promotion to the next echelon of Gwent County. We return to action on Tuesday, facing Lucas Cwmbran on the road.