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A final trip to Swansea for the year in glorious sunny conditions set the scene for Carmarthen’s M1s this week. The dry pitch took acclimating for both teams, with penalty corners on both sides being mis-injected. Swansea settled into the game early, winning several short corners, but the fearsome running duo of Jamie Pitman and Osian Evans saw to it that debutante keeper Steffan Gardner was well protected. Gardner faced some power shots however, and made his saves well. Carmarthen rode the pressure early and were first to score, with midfielder Tom Ferguson finding a key pass to captain Jonti Merry, who opened his account with a fierce shot that whistled through the nets. With the lead now theirs, Carmarthen grew in confidence and ramped up the pressure, with numerous chances ending in a penalty flick being awarded. Young forward Josh Richardson continued his 100% success rate at the penalty spot this season with an impressive shot to the corner. Knowing that a win would provide them mathematical safety for the season, Carmarthen drove on and wingback Josh Gwynne delivered a powerful strike to triple the deficit.  Fresh legs in the form of Anselm Brand and Sam Bolton ensured Carmarthen kept up the intensity, and a 4th goal would arrive before the interval - Bolton using his length and athleticism to force his way deep into the opposition area before freeing up Jonti Merry for the goal. Coach Kate Williams’ decision to pack the midfield this week had paid tremendous dividends, with Carmarthen dictating play for most of the 1st half. She encouraged her players to keep moving the ball and warned against complacency. Her words were taken on board, as Carmarthen scored their 5th within minutes of the 2nd half’s opening - a late run to the top of the D from Luke Dunning was rewarded with good service, and he fired a strike to the bottom left corner. Dunning was not done yet, doubling his tally from a long corner by picking up a clearance after a probing ball in from left back Cai Morgan. Swansea attempted to launch counter attacks but the defence held firm, with centre back Danny Mardell marshalling his troops effectively to snuff out any chances, whilst making some key challenges of his own. Carmarthen kept the foot on the pedal. Mardell played the ball wide from his own 16, where Morgan found Gwynne at the halfway line. Gwynne lost his marker with a single touch and went on one of his trademark runs to the top of the D, where he fired in a thunderous ball - a goal emblematic of Carmarthen’s ability to exit their own half seemingly at will. The game entered the final quarter and Carmarthen appeared intent on going for the jugular. Wingback William Heath, who had been rampaging to the baseline irrespective of whoever was sent to mark him, tortured another defender to find Merry in the area. A barnstorming run to the P spot from Steffan Walters on the opposite wing took the attention of everyone in the area, including the Swansea keeper who allowed Merry to slip the ball in at his near post. A run worthy of an assist in the stat sheet, if there ever was one. Carmarthen continued to move the ball at will, from defence to the midfield, and from midfield into the final third, with the central triumvirate of Evans, Ferguson and Dunning sniffing out attacks upfield and finding the wide men in space. Tenacious defending from Jamie Pitman out wide won a turnover, with Anselm Brand releasing the ball to find Josh Gwynne. Gwynne’s shot seemed destined for the goal, but a poacher’s helping hand from Josh Richardson at close range denied him his hat trick, but doubled Richardson’s tally in what could be a crucial goal in the top scorer competition. The final whistle came with Carmarthen 9 goals to the good, and their future for next year in division 1 secured. A true team performance by all 14 men, but Man of the Match was awarded to Steffan Gardner for his outstanding debut in goal, keeping the first clean sheet of the season. At 13 years old, he has made his mark as one to watch. Carmarthen welcome Swansea 3s to their home ground next week, as they look to squeeze extra table position out of their last remaining fixtures.

Icy conditions risked a second cancellation of this fixture, but an early confirmation that the pitch was playable sent our Mens 1sts east for their furthest away game of the season. Arriving rested, if not a little less fit from a lengthy christmas break, Carmarthen looked to build on an impressive last 5 games that had yielded enough points to secure 9th in the table. Gwent began the game with first pushback and promptly settled into a patient passing game, utilising 4 players at the back to push and pull Carmarthen’s press left and right. Both teams exchanged early periods of pressure, with chances on both sides. Gwent broke the deadlock from a short corner with a phenomenally placed strike beating keeper Lee Jones at his left post. Carmarthen dug in and despite winning multiple penalty corners through forwards Duncan Ecclestone and Josh Richardson, were unable to convert. Gwent attacked again, with Jones called into action for multiple saves and some crucial deflecting touches from centre back Russell Horsey kept the men in orange at bay. Carmarthen entered half time a goal down with work to do. Adjusting their tactics and pulling captain Jonti Merry slightly deeper, Carmarthen started the 2nd half at blinding pace, with the wingback rotation of Josh Gwynne, Ryan Carvey, William Heath and Anselm Brand providing constant options out wide and plenty of leg work in defence. Carmarthen erased the deficit early in the half when rightback Steffan Walters took a long corner and found Merry at the top of the D, who fired a reverse strike into the bottom left corner. Carmarthen’s momentum began to build, with the midfield triumvirate of Merry, Luke Dunning, and Osian Evans asserting more control over the game, with fresh legs from the bench in Logan Mackenzie Jones ensuring the frontline press kept the pressure on. They were duly rewarded when an overlapping run from left back Cai Morgan won a long corner. Evans took it quickly to release Merry, who beat his man and hit an impossibly angled reverse strike into to the top right corner to give Carmarthen their first lead of the game. Gwent were up to the challenge however. They equalised from an excellent team goal before restoring their lead with a carbon copy of their opener, their talisman striker once again finding the same corner of the goal from a set piece. The game entered the final minutes and with Carmarthen desperately seeking an equaliser, Coach Kate Williams elected to throw players forward to try and create one final chance. In the dying seconds, Carmarthen forced a foot in the opposing D, and were duly awarded a penalty corner. The umpires whistled for full time - this would be the game’s final play, and Carmarthen’s last chance. Carmarthen elected for a dragflick attempt from Evans which deflected onto a defenders foot, thus forcing a re-take. The second attempt saw Josh Richardson inject the ball to Merry, who slipped a pass to Evans to evade the charging defenders. Evans’ pushed attempt was denied by the Gwent keeper. The ball rebounded to a waiting Josh Richardson, who flicked the ball over the prone keeper, off the shoulder of the covering defender, and into the goal. The final whistles sounded as Richardson was mobbed by teammates, having snatched a draw at the death. A phenomenal team performance showing a dogged unwillingness to be put away, Carmarthen’s M1s were smiling every inch of the 70 mile drive home, having secured their point and distanced themselves further from the relegation zone. Man of the Match went to captain Jonti Merry for two scintillating goals. They host  Penarth 2s at Carmarthen next saturday, looking to avenge a narrow defeat in the away fixture, and reach double digit points on the season.

JUNIOR COACHES WANTED FOR THE 2024/25 SEASON‼️ With a continually growing junior section, we need your support🫵🏼 We are looking for junior coaches on Wednesday evenings from 5 - 7:30pm for different age groups and also on Sunday for tournaments (monthly / every other month). Juniors are the future of our club and without assistance from others, we will not be able to keep giving young members a chance to play hockey and progress in our club! If you are interested or require further information, please get in touch 🏑🌟

Fishguard 1 – Carmarthen Athletic 3 The stage was set for another exciting West Wales Derby situated in Fishguard town. The weather was actually ok for once, every player on the pitch would have flash backs to the past games of monsoons and hurricanes. From the off, Carmarthen piled on the pressure and managed to keep the ball in Fishguard’s half for an extended period. A delightful drive down the baseline from Luke Dunning and a cut back pass to Josh Gwynne, sitting comfortably on his own at the edge of the D, fired off a quick shot which crashed in off the back post for the opener. Some outstanding plays from the Carmarthen wide midfielders Will Heath, Ryan Carvery and Luke Dunning peppered the D with chances which went begging. Towards the latter end of the first half Fishguard broke away with a swift run down their left side and crossed to the striker. A fumbled shot came at the Carmarthen keeper Tomos Garman which had it covered but a stray foot from a defender got in the line of fire and deflected in to the back board. First half ended 1-1, slight frustration was setting in for Carmarthen but after a few words from the team manager Doug Shaw, the ship was steadied. Second half started with a back and forth, counter attacks from each end. The Carmarthen defence of Lee Richardson, Jamie Pitman, Ollie Shaw and Dave Ferguson, were poised to snuff out any chance of the Fishguard attackers getting anywhere near the goal. Carmarthen forwards Rick Morgan, Josh Gwynne, Duncan Ecclestone and Tom Ferguson set the high press on Fishguard’s 16s and out of nowhere the central midfielder Jonti Merry forced his way through a sea of defenders and slotted a shot through the keepers pads. Carmarthen started to turn the screw and multiple chances followed. A wonderful cross from defensive midfielder Cai Morgan placed Striker Tom Ferguson in front of the keeper and took a swing but somehow the ball ended up narrowly missing a dog walker about 100 yards away on the field behind. After a relentless period of attacking Carmarthen were awarded a short corner, a quick and simple pass back from the receiver to the injector Duncan Ecclestone which slotted a shot in behind the keeper. Carmarthen hope to bring the same intensity to the next match against Swansea at home.

Saturday results🏑 M1 1-2 Penarth L1 1-1 Dowlais L2 3-5 Cardiff & Met Unlucky not to get the win this weekend but one final push next Saturday for the last games of the 22/23 season🔴⚫️

Fishguard 0 - Carmarthen 2 It wouldn't be a West Wales derby without wind, rain, sleet and freezing conditions. Nonetheless, Carmarthen were primed and ready for a thrilling game. From the starting whistle, Carmarthen set the tempo and placed Fishguard on the back foot with the relentless pressure from the top 4 forwards Tom Ferguson, Duncan Ecclestone, Dave Stevens and Josh Gwynne. One great ball from Defensive Midfielder Cai Morgan into the D found Centre Midfielder Jonti Merry with ample space in which he tomahawked the ball through a sea of defenders into the bottom corner of the goal. The pressure kept building throughout the first half. Wide midfielders Luke Dunning, Josh Richardson and Rick Morgan put in the hard miles running up and down the wings keeping the momentum with Carmarthen which resulted in another corker of a goal from Jonti from top D. Second half was where the Carmarthen defence shone through. Fishguard packed the pressure on but with Centre Back Lee Richardson marshalling his wide backs Ollie Shaw and Steffan Walters. Fishguard forwards didn't stand a chance. The transition plays around the back 3 to get out of danger were extraordinary. One of these transitions with 3 passes Carmarthen striker Tom Ferguson found himself on the top of the Fishguard D, a powerful strike left the keeper with no hope of touching. To his dismay, the umpire deemed it not a goal. A few great saves from the Fishguard keeper kept the strikers at bay. The final 3rd found a short period of possession for Fishguard in the Carmarthen D in which a strike out of nowhere headed straight towards the Carmarthen's net but Keeper Lee Jones managed to pick it out of the air with an acrobatic diving save keeping another clean sheet. Steffan 'Wally' Walters was named Man Of The Match for his flawless game and Defensive brilliance.

Saturday 5th March The final super Saturday of the season, with three senior teams playing at home❤️🖤 Results - L2 1-2 Howardian 3s (L) L1 2-2 Howardian 2s (D) M1 5-3 Whitchurch 5s (W) Great to have club members down at the astro supporting each other!! All four senior teams are playing away next weekend 💪🏼 Sunday 6th March Great effort by our U16’s up in Crymych. Great determination and drive to come away with some good results against excellent opposition. Big thank you to Lee Jones for coaching and Julian for umpiring, the future is bright⭐️🏑

Saturday 25th Feb What a performance from our men yesterday who beat Gwent 3-4 after being down 3-0 half time🥳 Great team effort with bare 11 players🏑 Frustrating game for our ladies 1s who travelled to Dowlais for a rearranged game and were unlucky to come away with a 1-0 loss. Looking forward to having 3 senior teams playing at home next weekend❤️🖤

Saturday 18th Feb Amazing team effort for the 1s today playing away to a strong Gowerton side. Proud to come home with a draw🥳 Our ladies 2s and men had a break in league fixtures today so played each other in a development game🏑 Sunday 19th Feb Great result for our ladies 3s today coming home with a 4-4 draw v Teigrod🏑🌟

An early morning pushback after a hefty eastward journey promised a tough game for Carmarthen this week. Fielding a bare 11 with no bench options, Carmarthen steeled themselves for a stern test against the current league leaders. An early period of ascendancy for Gwent piled pressure on Carmarthen, who looked to weather the storm. Despite a good period of attacking themselves, Carmarthen conceded the opener from a crisp Gwent counter attack. Gwent would soon double their lead from a fantastic powered strike at the top D. Carmarthen pressed through-out the first half and would have been duly rewarded a goal if not for stellar goalkeeping from the Gwent end. Carmarthen couldn’t convert pressure into points, and another cleanly executed counter found Carmarthen lacking in numbers at the back, and Gwent took a 3-0 lead into the break. Carmarthen dusted themselves off at half time, and made a few small tactical tweaks to structure their play. They came out the blocks firing and began securing short corners, with the back 3 of Richardson, Brennan and Carvey giving a platform for the midfield to turn and unlock the forward lines. Their first goal came from a short corner, with Captain Osian Evans scoring from a reverse sweep finish. This early goal galvanised the team and Carmarthen’s momentum began to snowball. Keen to capitalise, more short corners followed, and midfielder Jonti Merry deflected a drilled ball into the bottom corner for Carmarthen’s second. Carmarthen, now firmly in this game, began to really pile on the pressure. The wide mids of Josh Richardon and Ollie Shaw began to exploit the half spaces out wide and linked with the wide forwards well. Gwent looked to counter but defensive mid Cai Morgan snuffed out anything that came into his path. The equaliser came through young forward Josh Gwynne, who had come close to scoring in the first half. A sublime finish from the top D found the top left of the goal. The comeback had been completed, and Carmarthen had all the momentum going into the final quarter. The game tightened up as it approached the final 15 minutes, but a scintillating 1-2 between Evans and Merry unlocked Merry at the top of the D, who thundered home to take the lead for the first time in the game. A tense period followed, and Carmarthen truly rode their luck for periods, and thanks to a resolute defence and an eye-watering save from keeper Lee Jones, they held firm. As the final whistle approached, Carmarthen’s game management shone through as they worked the clock and played in the right parts of the pitch. Some fantastic hold up play from forward Rick Morgan gave time for support to arrive, and with time the final whistle arrived to a rapturous reception from Carmarthen’s players and travelling fans. Having sprung themselves into the promotion picture as dark horses, Carmarthen consolidate their 3rd place position, with a 6 pointer against 2nd place Whitchurch 5s next weekend back in Carmarthen. How much noise Carmarthen make in this division will largely be decided in the coming weeks as they approach the final stretch of the season.

Saturday results Nice to have three senior teams at home supporting each other!! M1 7-1 Swansea 6s L1 3-0 Rhondda 1s L2 1-1 Rhondda 2s Great results for all teams. Both our men and ladies 2s have a league break next weekend but our ladies 1 will be travelling to Gowerton🏑 👏👏👍🔴⚫ Sunday Results Great day in Llandysul for both our U12’s and U14’s. Some brilliant team goals on display throughout the day, great determination by all players💪🏻 U12’s Player of the Tournament🏅- Gwenno Rees U14’s Player of the Tournament🏅- Matthew Stirling 👏👏👍🔴⚫

Saturday results; M1 v Bridgend 5-0 (W) L2 v Llan Valleys 2-2 (D) L1 v Cardiff Uni 2s 2-4 (L) 🔴⚫️🔴⚫️