Welsh League Division Three: Newcastle Emlyn 2 Goytre 0

GOYTRE should have known it was not to be their day on Saturday when goalkeeper Richard Minor was taken ill on the long ride to Newcastle in west Wales and the team bus had to turn around and take him home.

Following the earlier losses of Geoff Howells and Chris Perry, Ian Rosser now had only himself to name as sole substitute while last week's goal-hero Julian Richards was named Minor's replacement between the posts. Yet after conceding two early goals Goytre held their own against Newcastle - but in truth had lost the game in the first ten minutes.

Club chairman Paul Greenhalgh said: "We had a game plan of playing against the wind and trying to hold on until half time but Newcastle are obviously adept under their own conditions. Their keeper Peter Blain got the ball and booted it high up to their strikers, who cleverly played onside despite being ten yards past our line."

It was player-manager Matthew Price, leading the line with Jonathan Clark, who raced onto the long ball and tapped it past Richards to open the scoring. And a carbon copy second Price goal minutes later again exposed Goytre's naivety at the back.

Greenhalgh said: "Our defence saw what was happening the second time and raced to get back. We forced him out wide but he chipped it well over the keeper for 2-0. We managed to sort out our defensive frailties after that and they didn't create another good chance."

At the other end Andy Walsh, Kevin Wallace and Steve Collett all had chances to pull a goal back - and after the break Goytre were allowed time on the ball as Newcastle defended their lead. But Collett saw red for a second late challenge and with ten men Rosser's side had no way back.