CP Llanandras completed their Mid Wales League (South) programme with an excellent 4-1 win at Knighton Town in which Mark Ammonds netted a second-half hat-trick.
It was a game in which we saw the good and the bad of Knighton’s Lee Sutton who put his side ahead with a neat header after only nine minutes, but who was then sent off by referee Chris Bodenham after around 17 minutes for two yellow cards in rapid succession.
Knighton manager Martin Traylor was then banished from the home-team dug out for offering the referee the benefit of his experience but for long periods of the first half it was difficult to tell that Knighton were playing with a man short.
CP Llanandras drew level after 38 minutes when Mark Ammonds’ through ball picked out Tom Gibbs who ran on to produce a cool finish.
The second half was become the Mark Ammonds show as he netted a fine hat-trick, putting CP ahead on the hour mark when he ran on before beating the home-team keeper with a neat left-foot finish.
It was 3-1 with around 10 minutes to go when Jamie Blythe was the provider with a neat through ball that again saw Mark run on before beating the keeper low to his left.
The hat-trick was completed in the grand manner when Mark collected a loose ball 35 yards out and hit a shot that dipped over the head of the keeper and under the bar.
Despite the cries of ‘Now tell us you meant that!’ from the sidelines, Mark was adamant the goal was no fluke.
“It sat up beautifully and I thought: ‘This is going’,” he said. “I caught it really sweetly and it was great to see it fly in.”
There will be a more detailed report, plus the considered thoughts of manager Andy Crowe on the CP Llanandras page of the site at some stage later today or tomorrow.