MASON MASTER CONDITIONS AND GRABS A HAT-TRICK

By McCann Dave

FOR CEMAES AGAINST VALLEY

Those of you who read the KonX Wales Anglesey League web-site and more importantly took some notice and made your was down to School Lane will most certainly be glad you that you did.
The large crowd that braved the weather were treated to a game that had just about everything. Two good sides, excellent defending - in atrocious conditions, goals, sending offs, a hat-trick, wind, rain and a result that will be seen as a statement of intent from Cemaes Bay. Where to start ? Well, Cemaes began, defending against the wind and it was soon very clear that they had a job on their hands for the next forty five minutes, when in almost their first attack, Valley went close to taking the lead with a powerful header beating the keeper....only to skim the cross-bar. It began to look as if it was a game of `attack against defence’ . Certainly the Bay defence was well marshalled by Rhys Lloyd and for all the Valley pressure they didn’t create any clear cut chances nor did they have their usual cutting edge and chances overall were at a minimum. Whilst everyone did their job to keep Valley `at bay’, Kieran Thomas deserves a mention, and as the game wore on the hosts were beginning, not only, to break up the visitors attacks but to and build from the back, retaining possession and making it even more difficult for Valley. The half-time break came as a welcome relief to all the players – and match official, especially the Bay’s who had worked their socks off to take the break having kept out the normally free scoring visitors with the scores blank.
The cuppa in the home dressing room would have tasted all the sweeter knowing they were now going to have the advantage of the wind at their backs, and would be looking to put pressure on the visitors rearguard from the off and try and convert one of the chances that must surely come their way. Not that it would be so straight forward, Valley not having conceded a league goal this season.
But no one could have anticipated what was in store for the large crowd as the second half kicked-off. Early Bay pressure forced a corner and the ball was flighted into the wind so it would curl it towards the goal, where Steve Mason rose above the defenders to head home [55]. Within five minutes, Mason turned provider, linking with Dan Jones who drove the ball into the net to double their lead [60]. The conditions were getting steadily worse and sliding tackles needed to be timed to perfection. On seventy minutes, following a `beefy’ challenge, the match official showed both players Red, reducing both sides to ten men. Despite both teams being equal in numbers, the Bay adapted to the loss, both better, and quicker, and added a third to kill off any hopes Valley may have had of getting back into the game. It was that man Mason inflicting the damage again, dribbling through to round the keeper and `walk’ the ball into the net [84]. If any spectators `missed’ that goal they had the opportunity to see a repeat as he did it again. [85] to round off an excellent performance with a hat-trick. Three minutes later Sion Pritchard blasted home number five.

PICTURE FROM MR EDRYD JONES:
This is Steve Mason from the back - which is mostly the view Valley had of him as he left defenders standing on his way to his hat-trick.

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