‘A game of two halves’ is probably the most over-used term in football, but Friday on a moonlit October evening in the Vale of Clwyd, this was certainly a case in point, writes Treflyn Jones.

Ruthin Town 1 Porthmadog 1, JD Cymru North

Ruthin absolutely dominated the first half. Then, much to the relief of the visiting fans, Port improved immeasurably after the restart, thus setting up a thrilling climax to a keenly contested match.

Port played well enough during the opening five minutes during which Rhys Alun’s close range shot went straight into keeper Daniel Goldston’s arms and a sharp cross by Cai Jones was well caught. Thereafter, it was virtually all Ruthin.

They were first to everything and comfortably snuffed out the few Port forays into their half. Indeed it took all of 35 minutes for the visitors to gain their first corner kick from which Shaun Cavanagh miskicked a fairly presentable shooting chance.

Ruthin, on the other hand, forced several corners and looked very quick and dangerous down both flanks. Port’s keeper Alex Ward-Jones produced a smart save low to his left and did very well to smother another chance on his goal-line shortly afterwards as pressure mounted on the visitors’ defence.

Just before the break, the hosts went deservedly in front when a low cross by Sam Jones was confidently steered home by Soulayman el Amri giving Ward-Jones no chance.

During added on time, Port perked up considerably and seemed to have settled into their normal passing game. Was this a sign of things to come?

The answer to the above is a resounding ‘yes’. With the excellent and tireless Morgan Owen making the switch to midfield, it was now Port’s chance to release the handbrake and this they certainly did. It needed a stop on the line to prevent an equalizer by Cavanagh and on the hour mark, a great left-footed first time shot by Rhys Alun brought out the best in Goldston as he diverted it over the bar, this following great work by Cavanagh and Mahoney.

Ruthin, however, with their blistering pace down the flanks, continued to look very dangerous on the counter and on three occasions Alex in the Port goal was forced into brilliant last-ditch saves, most notably as Gwion Owen and Keyni Mills were sent clear on goal. Doubtless Alex’s faultless performance tonight will give him much confidence going forward.

Thus, for the final 15 minutes or so a clear pattern of attack (by Port) and counter-attack (by Ruthin) was established. A Josh Banks header went narrowly wide before Gwion Owen at the other end shot over the bar after skillfully evading two defenders. All this before another fine save by Alex.

Ruthin supporters expressed concern in the closing minutes as Port mounted further attacks but some of us jokingly re-assured them: “Peidiwch a phoeni…….dydan ni byth bron yn sgorio yn y munudau olaf! / Don`t worry…..we hardly ever score during the closing minutes!”

Well, the aforementioned Ruthin fans had barely ended their sigh of relief when Port equalized with a glorious team goal. Morgan Owen went on a typically tenacious run evading three hard-tackling defenders before passing to Cavanagh whose careful touch put Cai Jones clean through. He wasn’t going to miss this time as he blasted the ball past the helpless Goldston. A deserved equalizer and both teams continued to attack frantically.

There were no further goals, however, and Port had achieved a welcome and commendable point against a very good Ruthin Town outfit and the visitors move up into eighth place in the league.

It was great to visit such a welcoming club. We were warmly welcomed, in Welsh, at the entrance to the ground, and so, it was somewhat disappointing to receive all announcements in English only on the loudspeaker in a town which abounds with Welsh speakers compared to most other towns in the North-East of Wales.

I shall probably be chastised in certain quarters for mentioning this, but if such things are unsaid, nothing will change.

Ta waeth, diolch eto am yr hiwmor a`r croeso.

Next Saturday, we welcome third-placed Fflint to Y Traeth for another league encounter (ko 2.30pm).

Torf / Attendance :- 181