MAGNIFICENT Cwmbran Town are in the hat for the second round of the lucrative FAW Premier Cup after a superb 1-0 victory over Southern League Premier Division side Merthyr Tydfil at Cwmbran Stadium last night.
Tim Harris' Martyrs brought with them a large travelling support but they were forced to watch their team out-thought, out-fought and out-played in a tremendous performance by the Crows.
In manager Brian Coyne and his number two Sean Wharton, Cwmbran have tactical know-how, tenacity and a ferocious will to win and the financial reward for progress will be more than welcome for the cash-strapped Crows.
This Crows side has been constructed on a shoestring but with these two at the helm, their young side continues to punch above its weight in the Welsh Premiership and saw off Merthyr with room to spare.
"I thought the best side won," said Wharton afterwards, and he was absolutely spot on.
"Some people might be surprised but we are not. We know that on our day we can give anyone a game."
He added: "We had to withstand a bit of pressure towards the end but you need to do that in most matches. It is all about absorbing the pressure and taking your chances at the other end."
After going a goal up inside 24 minutes, Paul Bonar sliding a neat finish in off a post after being played in by a wonderful Kaid Mohamed through ball, the Crows kept their shape and never gave the Martyrs an inch for the rest of the match.
So much so, Harris' side resorted to launching hopeful long balls towards former Crows striker Jason Welsh.
But with the colossal Jason Perry around, these types of balls had roughly the same effect as chucking buns at an elephant.
He won absolutely everything thrown at the Cwmbran 18-yard box exemplified near the death when he flattened both Welsh and Michael Fowler to head the ball clear for the umpteenth time.
But it was not just Perry who excelled as the Crows did not have a single failure on the pitch and despite a fair amount of pressure late on, they were by far the more composed going forward causing Merthyr's backline constant problems on the break.
In contrast, Merthyr going forward lacked ideas and the only times they did get through, they found Crows goalkeeper Gareth Wesson on top of his game.
He made a fine stop from a Welsh header before half-time and reacted smartly to tip a late Craig Steins effort over the bar.
Cwmbran: Wesson, Green, James, Perry, Lloyd, Thomas, Carpenter, Bonar, Hanbury (Billine 90), Mohamed, Edwards. Subs: Claire, Mainwaring.
Merthyr: Morris, D Williams, Keddle, Needs, Eckhardt (Loss 56), Cochlin, Fowler, Clarke (Sommers 76), Welsh, Steins, Shephard (Ingram 68). Subs: S Williams, Dorrian. Booked: Keddle (82 foul). Referee: D.C. Richards. Attendance: 450.
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