Three Caerau Ely players who made the difference in thrilling Cardiff Dracs win

Caerau Ely moved to within three points of the Cymru South play-off places after making it five straight wins over Cardiff Dracs.

Lewis Harling struck twice, and Jaden Bahumaid added a third, before a late Sam Cawley penalty and Carlos Indjai’s red card made for a nervy finish.

Caerau Ely held on for a valuable away victory – Ben Stait’s first on the road since taking charge to climb to fifth in the Cymru South standings.

Here are the three players who stood out.

Lewis Harling showed why Caerau are fortunate to have him

Two goals, plenty of running and a performance that underlined his experience.

Lewis Harling was the obvious match-winner for Caerau Ely. He could quite easily still be playing in the Cymru Premier, given his obvious playing ability.

His first goal arrived before the game had barely got going, with Joe Woodiwiss’ excellent pass sending him through on goal.

Harling still had plenty to do, but his composure was impressive as he raced through before calmly finishing beyond Johnson.

His second was another example of his ability to arrive in the right place at the right time, completing a move which had been created by Bishop’s intelligent decision-making.

For Caerau, having a player of Harling’s experience and quality in the side could prove hugely important as they look to push towards the play-off places.

Stait has already been impressed by what he has seen from the midfielder since working with him.

“He’s been outstanding,” Stait said. “I haven’t really known Lewis before, but working with him in this short space of time, he’s outstanding.

“His running stats and his ability to get round the pitch, his leadership skills and his experience is huge for us.

“We’re very fortunate to have a player like that who is clearly good enough to play in the Cymru Premier.”

That assessment was backed up by Harling’s display against Dracs. He gave Caerau an early advantage, added a second after the break and provided the experience his team needed as the match became increasingly frantic.

Liam Bishop was impossible to ignore despite penalty miss

If there was one player who brought constant energy and entertainment to Caerau’s performance, it was Liam Bishop.

The attacker was an absolute live wire and put in a huge shift throughout the contest. He will, however, be disappointed with his penalty.

After Nathan Mathias was adjudged to have handled inside the area, Bishop stepped up from 12 yards but struck the ball without the pace or power needed to beat Harry Johnson, who guessed correctly and made a fine save.

Thankfully for Bishop, the miss did not prove costly. He quickly made amends with an important contribution to Caerau’s second goal.

After judging Tim Parker’s flick-on brilliantly, Bishop drove forward with the ball and had an opportunity to go for goal himself.

Instead, he showed composure and awareness to square the ball for Harling, who made no mistake from close range.

It was exactly the sort of unselfish decision that summed up Bishop’s performance. Caerau Ely boss Ben Stait was full of praise for his player’s attitude.

“There was nobody more up for the game than Bish. The most important thing to him and us is the team.

“It’s nice for him to get an assist, I thought the set up for Harling’s second was really good play. It was really good, great composure to slide it and it made it easy for Harlo to finish.”

That summed up Bishop’s afternoon nicely. He may have missed from the spot, but he never allowed that setback to affect the rest of his performance.

Joe Woodiwiss showed exactly what he can offer Caerau Ely

Joe Woodiwiss may not be the most physically imposing defender on the pitch, but he looked perfectly comfortable alongside the towering Lathan Garrett and Vaughn Fowler.

His biggest contribution came inside the opening minute.

Woodiwiss won possession and immediately looked forward, spotting the run of Lewis Harling and producing a delightful ball over the top.

It was a pass right out of the top drawer, putting Harling in behind the Dracs defence and allowing the experienced midfielder to keep his composure before calmly slotting past Johnson.

Woodiwiss has made the move from Penybont this summer and already has top-flight experience under his belt.

There were encouraging signs here that he could prove to be a very good fit for his new club, particularly alongside the physical presence of Garrett and Fowler.

The only slight slight on his afternoon was the late penalty conceded by Caerau, which denied him the clean sheet his performance probably deserved.

Still, his ability to defend and then immediately look to play forward was an important feature of Caerau’s display.

Caerau Ely have plenty to build on after important win

The victory was far from straightforward, with Dracs enjoying several spells in the game, but Caerau struck at crucial moments, inside the opening minute, shortly after half-time and then late on after both sides had made changes.

Dracs hit the post through Sam Cawley before half-time and continued to threaten, while the hosts eventually found a late consolation through the winger.

The win also gave Stait his first away victory since taking charge, following home successes against Treowen Stars and Llanelli Town.

With Caerau now sitting fifth and just three points from a play-off position, there is plenty for Stait and his players to be encouraged by.

Woodiwiss provided the platform, Bishop supplied the energy, and Harling delivered the goals. On this evidence, all three could have an important part to play in Caerau’s push up the Cymru South table.