SOUTH Wales FA Senior League Division Two

Cogan Coronation 3 V 1 Llanrumney United

It was back to league action for Cogan Coronation on Saturday, December 13, as Llanrumney United made the short trip for their South Wales FA Senior League Division Two match.

Both teams came into the game off the back of wins in the Bruty Cup the previous weekend. But with Cogan sitting undefeated at the top of the league, and with the foreknowledge of their opposition from their 3-1 victory in Llanrumney earlier in the season, the home side started as favourites.

It didn’t start according to plan though. After a bright opening few minutes from Cogan, a Llanrumney counter-attack lead to their striker getting on the wrong side of the defence. As he continued his run, a tangle of legs with centre-back Stewart Owadally resulted in a penalty for the visitors and a booking for Owadally. The spot-kick was converted well, and Cogan found themselves 1-0 down.

They were quickly back on top of the game despite the setback, surging forward and creating the openings, without quite getting their final ball right. Scott Muir was causing Llanrumney problems down the right hand side, while Gavin Beddard was ensuring the whole backline had to stay on their toes.

It wasn’t long before the pressure paid off. Captain Haidn Dibble’s fantastic run into the area ended as he was brought down by a Llanrumney defender. Beddard stepped up and made absolutely no mistake, drilling the penalty into the net so firmly that some quick repairs were needed before the game got back underway.

There was frustration for Cogan. After dominating Cwmaman Institute the previous week, they struggled to get a foothold here. Dibble, alongside Liam Beddard and Gareth Clarke in the middle of the park, were launching attack after attack, but Cogan didn’t seem to be able to stifle Llanrumney as much as they’d have liked. And while there weren’t many clear-cut chances, the home side had to withstand a fair deal of pressure. Mark Hussey was on hand to deal with any attacks that did break through, again making one or two vital blocks with the game poised.

With the soft pitch beginning to cut up, Cogan’s passing play wasn’t flowing as they might have wished. Though every player kept battling, it fell to Gavin Beddard to deliver the killer blow. Picking the ball up on the corner of the box, he drove in and hit a shot beyond the goalkeeper and into the top corner to give Cogan the lead.

Llanrumney kept pressing, looking for an equaliser. And Cogan have the scars to prove they were in a battle. Dean Morgan ended up with a badly cut lip after bravely going for one header. And Leigh Bennett’s game was over after he made a heroic last ditch tackle, only to have his momentum take him straight into the post, knee-first.

Using the incident to spur them on, Cogan took a hold of the match after the lengthy injury break to help Bennett off the pitch. Liam Beddard was enforcing the midfield, allowing Dibble some more freedom to create. And the final nail in Llanrumney’s coffin eventually came.

It seemed inevitable that it would be hammered in by Gavin Beddard. Another driving run, another ferocious shot, this time low into the keeper’s left corner. He claimed his hat-trick, making it nine goals in the last three matches and giving him a well-deserved man of the match award.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was another important three points for Cogan against a Llanrumney side that had been in decent form. Cogan keep their place at the top of the league, two points clear of AFC Whitchurch, with two games in hand.