Taffs Well 5-2 Pontypridd Town: Fox returns to haunt former club with stunning strike

Jack Fox scored a goal of the season contender against his former side as free-scoring Taffs Well saw off Pontypridd Town at Rhiw’r Ddar.

The Wellmen showed a clinical touch in front of goal, while Jonathan Jones’ Dragons squandered numerous opportunities and paid the inevitable price.

Jason Bertorelli opened his account for the season with a brace, while youngster Jordan Carey continued his impressive start with a goal and and two assists.

Substitute Kareem Leigh and arch poacher Luke Gullick netted for Pontypridd, as Dylan Jones rounded off the scoring for the hosts.

Jones had an impressive evening in the yellow and black of Taffs Well, and made his intentions clear early on with a mazey run into the area which threatened to cause problems before Ponty recovered to clear.

The visitors could well have taken an early lead, had Josh Allen decided not to opt for a square pass and instead test Tomos Bodger with a shot from the edge of the area.

The hosts had two chances in as many minutes when Bertorelli’s shot from close range was parried away, before Jones saw his effort blocked.

With Pontypridd struggling to craft out any clear-cut opportunities, the lively Aiden Lewis tried a snapshot from distance which swerved narrowly wide of the right post.

The Wellmen’s aerial threat came to fore when Carey’s  inviting free-kick was met with a glancing header from Bertorelli, giving Giannis Michail no chance.

Dragons defender Scott Hilman hit the post with a header from a corner as Ponty continued to push for an equaliser.

With the game still finely balanced on the hour mark, Louis Gerrard saw his half volley fly agonisingly wide.

Jones’ side were left to rue missed opportunities when Bertorelli beat his man inside the box and squared the ball to Carey, who powered home from close range to double the hosts’ advantage.

In a game which often lacked quality in the attacking third, Fox produced a moment of sheer brilliance when he curled a shot from 25 yards into the top left corner to put his team in a commanding position.

Leigh made an instant impression after coming off the bench, and gave Ponty a lifeline with 15 minutes to go when he fired low past Bodger into the bottom right corner.

The game was put to bed when Bertorelli found the net for a second time with an eye-catching acrobatic volley after Jones had hit the crossbar.

Both teams released the shackles in the closing stages, as Jones scored his side’s fifth goal after Dragons striker Luke Gullick – who had been kept relatively quiet – showed good composure to cooly slot home.

Taffs Well: 1. Tomos Bodger; 2. Daniel Dima (Aaron Garrett 68′); 3. Sam O’Sullivan (Luke Davidson 60′); 4. Jack Fox; 5. Scott Hayward; 6. Liam Martin; 7. Jacob Matthews; 8. Dylan Jones; 9. Jason Bertorelli; 10. Richard French (Ethan Cann 82′); 11. Jordan Carey

Substitutes not used: 12. Ibraimi Sani; 15. Abdullah Mohsin

Pontypridd Town: 1. Giannis Michail; 2. Luke Sylvester (Kareem Leigh 68′); 3. Lee Baldock; 4. James Bloom; 5. Scott Hillman; 6. Lewis Cosslett; 7. Aiden Lewis (King Mwedzo 81′); 8. Joshua Allen (Gavin Beddard 60′); 9. Luke Gullick (C) 10. Louis Gerrard; 11. Joshua Maksimovic

Substitutes not used: 12. Connor Hanford; 15. Vaughan Fowler

(Featured image: Darren Griffiths)