STM Sports 4-1 Croesyceiliog: STM run out comfortable winners against promotion rivals Croesy

STM Sports AFC made it five wins in a row after a convincing win over second-placed Croesyceiliog.

Lamin Conteh, introduced for Ben Ah-Mun midway through the second half scored two fine goals after Ben Ah-Mun and David Biggs had earlier opened the scoring with two goals in the first fifteen minutes before Alex Bonthron grabbed a consolation for the away side. 

Having not played since the 22nd December STM went into the game on the back of four consecutive wins all at home.

They went ahead with the first attack of the game. A cracking cross from the left found Ah-Mun, who headed it over Jack Harris and into the back of the net via the underside of the bar before the linesman flagging to signal the goal. 

A bright start from the hosts could have them double their advantage after Marcus Jones could only see his header go over the bar. 

But a few minutes later STM did double their lead after Croesyceiliog failed to clear their lines following a corner. The ball founds it’s way to David Biggs who took a touch to steady himself before bending a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner. 

It was Biggs again from another corner who could have made it three after seeing his shot across goal deflected not once but twice before being cleared off the line. 

Croesyceiliog had a great chance to halve the score after a sloppy pass from STM’s defence found Alex Bonthron on the edge of the area before firing towards goal.

Having signed from Wattsville last month, Bonthron looked to have got a goal back but Dimonekene superbly denied with a one-handed save.

It was the first of three crucial saves throughout the match after denying Liam Head close-range shot before denying Bonthron again after bravely getting there first ahead of the forward and playing the ball away from danger. 

After seeing themselves with plenty of chances to make it 3, with Jones, Chris Worsley and Geza Hajgato all being denied by Harris but he couldn’t do anything to stop Conteh making it 3-0. 

Having just come on as a substitute for Ah-Mun two minutes earlier, Riccardo Mackenzie’s long ball found the forward, who cut on the inside to leave him with space before firing a low shot into the back of the net from the edge of the area before Croesyceiliog got their consolation. 

Substitute Ben Prothero put in a low pass into the penalty area which found its way to Bonthron who struck past the excellent Dimonekene to give them a glimmer of hope of getting anything from the game. 

Conteh who had earlier shot wide, finished the game off by scoring his second and his teams fourth.

Across-field ball found the substitute in space and despite Harris coming out of his goal to stop him, the forward went around him and tapped it home past the defender on the line to seal a crucial three points in STM’s hunt for promotion. 

STM Sports:

Dimonekene, Hajgato, ((D Garinder, 72) Mackenzie, Biggs, Hajgato, A Gardiner, (Bateman, 72) Evans (C), Jones, Ah-Mun (Conteh, 65) Worsley, Graham

Substitutions:

12 Lamin Conteh

13 Michael Bull

14 Calum Bateman

15 Dale Gardiner

16 Nicky King

Bookings: None

Croesyceiliog

Harris, Edmonds (Doolan, 78) Sainsbury, Clouth, Wellington, Hayward, Jones (Hall, 69) McGrath, Clare, Liam Head (Prothero, 69) Bonthron

Substitutions:

14 Ben Prothero
15 Cole Doolan
12 Josh Hall
16 Marc Porter

Bookings: Edmonds and Clare.