Llanelli Town AFC (The Reds) have reached the League Cup Final after seeing off Caerau Ely at Afon Lido’s Marston Stadium. Whilst promotion also looks certain for the club the prospect of cup silverware is also welcome. Only Bridgend Street now stand in their way of achieving that aim. They comprehensively outplayed the opposition who occupy a respectable sixth place in the table, and could well have added to the final tally if other chances had been accepted. It was a thoroughly workmanlike all-round team performance with each player contributing, and while their opening goal after just five minutes was fortunate, coming off the head of Caerau Ely defender Vincent Garcia past his own keeper, Scott James, there was certainly nothing lucky about the other four from Jordan Follows, a brace by Jordan Davies and a Luke Jones effort.
Caerau Ely opened proceedings brightly enough despite the early setback, but their finishing was woeful, with Curtis Hudson wastefully twice spurning decent close range chances, while a good tackle on him by Davies in the box prevented another potential threat. The Reds themselves went close when a Liam Samuel corner was cleared out of the goalmouth only as far as Follows, and his strike on target was turned around by James. The diminutive striker had better luck on 32 minutes when he got the second, heading home when Samuel and Davies were involved in the build-up to send the large travelling support into raptures. Their opponents were already looking a beaten side, and it took a clearance off the line by Lewis Hydes to prevent Follows from adding to the lead when he chipped his finish over James.
The nearest Caerau Ely came to a goal threat arose from a corner which saw an attempt being hacked away by Kurtis March to relieve the danger. Comfortably ahead at the break, the Reds were quickly into their stride after the restart, and three further goals arrived within a nine minute spell. When they were awarded a free kick, Davies stepped up to arrow it past the defensive wall and beyond James who remained rooted to the spot after 56 minutes, while three minutes later he struck again, this time directing a header from a great chip by Follows into the net. Four to the good and with their opponents now praying for the final whistle, Jones got in on the act which was no more than he deserved following a quality display by him, latching on to a ball spilled by James from a Samuel set piece on 65 minutes to turn it home from close range. He was then denied possibly another success when a last ditch tackle halted him in his tracks as he burst into the box, while a further attempt by James Loveridge, who had replaced Follows, was just kept out by the Caerau Ely keeper.
A consolation goal arrived for the Reds` opponents in the 77th minute through Rameer Outlaw who got free up the right before finding the net inside the far post, with Craig Morris off his line in an attempt to narrow the angle. This was scant satisfaction for either him or his side who on the night were distinctly second best in all departments and comprehensively outplayed by a rampant Reds` outfit. The match finished Caerau Ely 1 – Llanelli Town 5.
CAERAU ELY; James; Maynard ©; Hydes (Pika, 84); Garcia; P.Quick; Shepard; Corne; Hudson; Smith (Cauley, 78); Roberts (C. Quick, 60); Outlaw; Subs. not used; Bridgeman; Short.
LLANELLI TOWN; Morris; Graves; March; Clarke; C. Thomas; Bevan ©; Samuel; Davies; L. Jones (Morgan, 74); Follows (Loveridge, 67); R. Thomas (R. Jones, 70). SCORERS; Caerau Ely – Outlaw, 77. Llanelli Town – OG (Garcia), 5; Follows, 32; Davies, 56, 59; L. Jones, 65.
YELLOW CARDS; Caerau Ely – P. Quick. Llanelli Town – R. Thomas. REFEREE; Teifion Cook (Clydach).
