A THUNDEROUS 25-yard drive from Richard Lewis gave Ammanford a dramatic 2-1 victory over Swansea Valley rivals Pontardawe in the second round of the Welsh League Cup on Saturday 5th December.

Lewis’ magnificent long-range strike shattered Ponty’s hopes following a quality game played in appalling conditions which was a credit to both sides. 

With Jamie Evans cup tied, new Ammanford signing Sam Evans came into the squad after transferring from Trimsaran and former Ponty stalwart Luke Harris was made captain for the eagerly-awaited encounter.

Despite the heavy rain, the pitch held up remarkably well with just water at the corners which enhanced the play by giving the forwards a slight advantage in the testing conditions.

Pontardawe had a chance early on with a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, but the effort was cleared.

The Swansea Valley outfit continued to pose problems for Ammanford in the opening quarter and a similar effort after 20 minutes was also cleared.

With both teams settling down remarkably well after such a long lay-off, Ammanford took the lead in the 27th minute when a Richard Lewis cross was headed home by the unmarked Matthew Fisher.

Minutes later Dean Jenkins had a chance with a snap shot before Gethin Jones went just wide minutes before half-time. Then Richard Lewis got into a great goal scoring position only to be crowded out by the Pontardawe defence.

Five minutes into the second half Pontardawe drew level when a misjudged clearance was seized upon by Rob Daniels who headed into an empty net. Play remained very even until Lewis unleashed that piledriver from 25 yards which gave the Pontardawe goalkeeper no chance.

With the rain getting increasingly heavy, Pontardawe pressed for the equaliser but Ammanford’s defence held firm. Ammanford’s Luke Fayres played a central role in a high-quality match which benefited from the refereeing of Eddie King.  

Watch all of the goal and match action here