The New Saints 2-0 Port Talbot Town - Principality Welsh Premier League Match Report

A difficult opening match of the season did not start in the best possible way for Port Talbot town as they conceded after just four minutes to a Jamie Wood header as a result of some poor marking in the area. Kristian James and Jason Welsh were left out of the squad despite being two of the more high profile summer signings while the three Swansea City loan players of Stefan Morrison, James Burgin and Scott Evans could only settle for a place on the bench as manager Nicky Tucker showed faith in a more familiar starting line-up. Port Talbot were left to chase shadows for the majority of the opening half however as The New Saints controlled the game with ease and should have taken a far more convincing lead into the interval after Alfie Carter had doubled the advantage after 38 minutes. The second half brought the introduction of the Swansea City trio and a marked improvement was the result of the change as Port Talbot began to ask questions f the home defence. Martin Rose forced TNS goalkeeper Paul Harrison to make a superb save on 71 minutes but it would prove to be one of the few shots on target created by the visitors as The New Saints continued to dominate for long periods of the game. James Burgin proved instrumental in creating a number of half chances as he combined well with his Swansea City team mate Stefan Morrison but neither player could force any further saves from the home goalkeeper. Kristian Rogers was called into action at the other end however to keep the score at 2-0 as The New Saints maintained their advantage to claim a very comfortable win.

18th August 2008 - Evening Post
Tucker frustrated as Saints keep jinx going
Port Talbot's misery at the hands of former champions The New saints continues.They lost 2-0 at Park Hall and have failed to win on any of their nine visits to Saints. Manager Nicky Tucker was left totally frustrated by his team's first-half performance which gifted Andrew Cale's side a two-goal lead. We were outplayed in the first half and made life really easy for them then," Tucker said. "We gifted them two soft goals and showed them too much respect but we improved a lot after the break and that's the positive I'll take from the game. "At this level you can't afford to play for 45 minutes and we will have to show more commitment when we travel to Aberystwyth next week." Alfie Carter was given the freedom of Park Hall in the fourth minute when he crossed and Jamie Wood was on hand to prod the ball home. And sloppy tackling enabled Carter to curl a delightful right-foot shot into the top corner seven minutes before the break. Matthew Thompson went closest for the Steelmen when he brought a superb save out of TNS keeper Paul Harrison.

17th August 2008 - Wales on Sunday
Brave Saints foil the Steelmen
First half goals from Jamie Wood and Alfie Carter gave the Saints the perfect start as they comfortably disposed of the Steelmen in the league opener at Park Hall. Last season’s runners-up were always in the driving seat once Wood had fired a fourth minute opener when latching on to Carter’s right wing cross before planting his shot into the net. Port Talbot, who have enjoyed little joy on their travels to TNS in the past, never looked likely to buck the trend against a solid, and often untroubled, home back four. By contrast, the Saints carved plenty of openings with left back Tommy Holmes relishing the opportunity to get forward, while the defender himself went close with a 30-yarder that whistled just over the bar. The hosts emphasised their superiority with a second goal on 38 minutes, Michael Wilde holding off marker Matthew Rees before laying the ball off for Carter to drive home from 15 yards. Rogers made a point-blank save from Wilde soon after the restart, while opposite number Paul Harrison made sure the Saints kept a clean sheet with a superb diving save from Matthew Thompson in a rare spell of Talbot pressure. Carter went close to adding a third when seeing a lobbed effort tipped over the bar, but by then the points were safely in the bag for the hosts who have their sights firmly on regaining their league crown this season.

16th August 2008 - www.saints-alive.co.uk
Saints too good for Steelmen
The New Saints opened their Welsh Premier campaign with a comfortable 2-0 success over Port Talbot, who never looked likely to record their first-ever win at either Treflan or Park Hall. Once Jamie Wood had put the Saints ahead inside four minutes from Alfie Carter's right-wing pass, the Steelmen were always chasing shadows, while the home back four was rarely troubled, with stand-in right back Barry Hogan outstanding. Left-back Tommy Holmes relished the opportunity to get forward on several occasions and went close with a 30-yarder that whistled over the crossbar. Visiting keeper Kris Rogers did well to deny Carter, while Steven Beck and Scott Ruscoe both fired over from the edge of the box. Michael Wilde made the second goal on 38 minutes, holding-off marker Matthew Rees before laying the ball off for Carter to drive home from 15 yards. Rogers made a point blank save from Wilde soon after the restart, while opposite number Paul Harrison made sure the Saints kept a clean sheet with a superb diving save from Matthew Thompson in a rare spell of Talbot pressure. Carter went closest to adding a third, but his lobbed effort was tipped over the bar.

The New Saints

1. Paul Harrison
2. Barry Hogan
3. Tommy Holmes
4. Duane Courtney
5. Michael Taylor
6. John Leah
7. Scott Ruscoe
8. Alfie Carter
9. Michael Wilde
10. Steven Beck
11. Jamie Wood

Subs
12. John Toner
(rep Carter - 74)
14. Alex Darlington
(rep Wood - 86)
15. John McKenna
(rep Beck - 90)

Yellow Cards
Barry Hogan (78)

Red Cards
None

Goals
Jamie Wood (4)
Alfie Carter (38)

Port Talbot Town

1. Kristian Rogers
2. Leigh De-Vulgt
3. Darren Davies ©
4. Gareth Phillips
5. Liam McCreesh
6. Lee Surman
7. Lee John
8. Matthew Thompson
9. Martin Rose
10. Matthew Rees
11. Scott Barrow

Subs
12. James Burgin
(rep Barrow - 64)
14. Stefan Morrison
(rep John - 64)
15. Scott Evans
(rep Thompson - 82)
16. Drew Fahiya
(Unused)
17. Adam James
(Unused)

Yellow Cards
Liam McCreesh (83)
Gareth Phillips (90)

Red Cards
None

Goals
None

Attendance
238

Referee
Mr B. James