A "Corinthian" football weekend

This weekend I saw games featuring not one but two "Corinthian" teams!

Friday 13th - Cardiff Corinthians v Seven Sisters Onllwyn

My matchgoing companion, Paul, bailed on this Friday night game, which was probably just as well. It got chilly! I was glad I took my big coat. But despite the cold there was a lovely, brief sunset and after it the gibbous moon was an extra floodlight. 

Cardiff Corries look a decent outfit this year and were towards the top of the Ardal South West. The game was at Cwrt Yr Ala, home of Caerau Ely because the Corries' ground in Radyr is shared with the cricket team and it's still just about summer.

I saw Seven Sisters get walloped 6-0 by Cardiff Draconians last May. Either they were missing a few players in that game or they have had a rebuild, because this was a much better team tonight, marshalled from the back by a bossy, lanky goalie.

Corries started brightly with a chance in the first minute but then conceded on a break after just six minutes, a low shot from the edge of the area wrongfooting the Corries keeper. 

I hoped to see more goals because the combination of relentless 'home' team pressure and "Sevens" capacity to move the ball forward rapidly when they got possession felt like the perfect alchemy for goals, goals, goals.

Twas not to be though. Sevens defended resolutely through nine minutes of time added on, including pinball in the six yard box at 90+8. The ref blew for full time during another melee mere feet from the goal a few seconds later.

Final score: 0-1. Somehow.

I also saw a great trivia challenge scenario - have you ever seen a player shown a first yellow card and then get ordered to leave the field? Well it happened in this game. The reason is at the bottom of the post - see if you can work it out.   

Saturday 14th - Newport Corinthians v Caldicot Town

My mate Ben had told me he wasn't playing in this game as he had work commitments. But I still wanted to go. It was already my back up game after my original plan to visit South Gower fell through. And I wanted to get some pictures with the transporter bridge in the background! I'd seen the backdrop in several other people's photos and wanted to capture it myself.

This was a new ground for me and Paul. Newport Corries have a nice little clubhouse. There's memorabilia on the walls including stuff from the 60s just after the club was founded. They also have a nice new stand. 

Corries were ahead after 7 minutes although Paul and only realised that after about 15 minutes when we discovered it was Corries playing in blue and Caldicot in yellow rather than the other way round!

After the opening frenetic burst from the home team, Caldicot clawed their way back into the game and had turned it around to lead 2-1 at the break.

The second half was mainly Caldicot. They went 3-1 up before conceding to a diving header from a corner. They then went 4-2 up. 

However, the Caldicot left back was sent off for a second yellow with about 20 minutes to go. Caldicot missed a couple more chances to nab a fifth even though they were down to 10. But the momentum swung back towards the Corries.

Newport got a goal back with a point blank header that seemed to go through the Caldicot keeper. Then very late on a defensive mix up saw the ball squared to an unmarked Corries player right in front of an open goal. 4-4!

Caldicot had two more good chances to win it in injury time. But the whistle blew and a fabulous knockabout game of football came to an end. Well worth the trip across the Usk.

There was another unusual refereeing incident - the first time I've ever seen a physio sent off. It was the Corries physio who was shown a straight red, possibly for coming on to the pitch without permission. 

Trivia scenario 

Why was the player asked to leave the pitch after just a yellow card? He had been receiving treatment on the sideline and came on without being authorised by the referee. So he was booked and then told to go back off the pitch and only come back on when he was told to!