Ton Pentre 1-4 Pontypridd Town: Dragons pile misery on Bulldogs in vital win

Luke Gullick netted a brace as Pontypridd Town moved further away from the relegation zone after beating managerless Ton Pentre at Ynys Park.

Lee Kendall made it three wins on the bounce, with a double from Luke Gullick and an Aiden Lewis thunderbolt sealing the deal for the Dragons, alongside a Gavin Beddard header.

Josh Maksimovic slipped a late consolation goal between the sticks but the game was far out of reach for Ton Pentre despite their efforts.

The game was a rugged battle in the first 20 minutes, with both defences resolute to long ball play.

It took 35 minutes for the first chance to appear, with the home side looking to capitalise. An early substitute in Callum Hopkins slipped through the defence, but stopper Cameron Clarke was quick off the line to make a double save and keep the game level.

Pontypridd nearly broke the deadlock moments later, when Kareem Leigh got behind the defence, slipping the ball past the keeper as it clipped the outside of the post, to the dismay of the forward.

It wouldn’t take long for the visitors to snatch the lead.

Controlling a high ball with his chest, Luke Gullick swivelled on a half turn to bury the ball into the right side of the net, leaving Ryan Fleming with no chance on the stroke of half-time.

Lee Kendall’s side doubled their lead shortly after the restart when an Aiden Lewis super-strike flew into the back of the net.

With the ball dropping to the midfielder 25-yards out, he smashed his effort low and hard that left stopper Fleming rooted to the spot.

The dragons were firing on all cylinders, with Luke Gullick grabbing his brace with a neat pattern of play.

Latching onto a ball down the right-hand side, Gullick cut inside to throw his defender off balance, before calmly slotting the ball into the right of the goal.

Witch the game surely out of reach, the visitors soon put the result beyond all doubt. Former Pontypridd manager Gavin Beddard’s diving header sealed the deal for the dragons, with Josh Maksimovic burying a parried effort to grab a late consolation goal.

Lee Kendall makes it three wins from three at the helm of Pontypridd, with an impressive turn of form fr his squad. This loss is Ton Pentre’s fifth in a row, and with eight games left in the schedule, it will be a tough road to the end of the season.

Ton Pentre: Fleming, R.Thomas (Snowdon 76), Hayward, Bassett, Hardy, Williams (Jones 60), Price, Davies, Jacka, Maksimovic, L.Thomas (Hopkins 11)

Goal: Josh Maksimovic 83’

Pontypridd Town: Clarke, Wheeler, Baldock, Shaw, Hillman(C), Iheanacho, Lewis, Fowler, Gullick, Leigh, Allen (Kareem 71)

Goals: Luke Gullick 45’ Aiden Lewis 51’, Luke Gullick 74, Gavin Beddard 82.

(Featured Image: Jordan Jones)