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10th March 2008 - Evening Post
Nicholas blames fatigue after hectic week
Llanelli manager Peter Nicholas believes fatigue was the reason for his players' below-par display at Port Talbot on Friday night.Despite not firing on all cylinders, the Reds still gained three crucial points, Wyn Thomas's scrappy 80th-minute goal - his third in two matches - the only score of the night. ''The events of the week really took their toll on the players and we didn't play that well,'' Nicholas said. ''We had Gilbert Lloyd's funeral on Friday, we trained on Saturday, travelled to Newi Cefn Druids for the cup match on Sunday, then played TNS on Tuesday. ''So it has been a really tough week and the lads have done superbly well to come through it with three victories.'' The win briefly stretched the Reds advantage over Saints to six points but Nicholas is never one to take things for granted. ''We are not jumping ahead of ourselves with seven matches still to be played,'' he said. ''But the pleasing thing is that it is in our hands now. This time last season we were 12 points behind TNS so we have shown a considerable improvement since then. ''The lads can rest for 48 hours before our Premier Cup final at Newport which will be another very difficult match for us.'' For Port Talbot boss Nick Tucker it was a relief his team were so competitive following last week's embarrassing 4-1 loss at Llangefni. ''To be honest, I thought we were worth a point. I asked for a performance from my players and that's what I got,'' he said. ''First half we had the better of the chances although Llanelli dominated possession. The question on my mind is why couldn't we have played like that at Llangefni. Consistency is vital if we are ever to become a top four team in this league. Tucker believes Llanelli will now go on and win the title. ''They have the squad to go on and win it from here and I hope they do. Potential champions sometimes have to grind out results and that's what they did against us.'' At least the scoreline was more encouraging this time for the Steelmen who were demolished 8-0 in the away clash in October, a result that led to manager Tony Pennock calling it a day.
8th March 2008 - www.welsh-premier.com
Thomas late strike wins it for Reds
Despite an improved performance, Port Talbot could not prevent league leaders Llanelli somewhat fortunately taking the spoils thanks to a late goal from defender Wyn Thomas, his third in two games. The Steelmen failed to clear their lines in the 81st-minute and the ball fell to Thomas, who drove from the edge of the box past keeper Kris Rogers. The visitors were on the back foot for long periods in the opening half, but chances were few and far between with ex-Talbot midfielder Andrew Mumford going closest for the Reds with a long range effort. Dylan Blain and Liam McCreesh both came close to opening the scoring for the hosts, but their efforts went wide of the post. Llanelli survived a succession of second half corners but, as the game wore on, it was obvious that a single goal would claim the win and Thomas popped-up at the vital moment to widen the gap at the top of the table.
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