Afan Lido scored twice in stoppage time to stage a dramatic comeback and climb out of the JD Cymru South relegation zone with a 2-1 home win over Ammanford on Friday night.
Ammanford led in the 73rd minute as Lewis Reed met Rhys Davies’ cross with a glancing header into the back of the net, but the visitors were reduced to 10 men with five minutes of the 90 remaining as Kallum Thomas was shown a straight red card for halting a Lido counter-attack.
That buoyed Lido who won a penalty in the 93rd minute which substitute Liam McCreesh lashed home, before the turnaround was complete three minutes later when Dylan Williams crossed for Ioan Evans to head in and secure his side’s first win since Boxing Day.
Garry Taylor’s side are now one point above the drop zone, with Goytre United slipping into the bottom three following their 2-2 draw at home against Cambrian United on Saturday.
The Rhondda side led 2-0 at half-time as Jack Fox scored in the 17th minute before Oliver Bradley turned the ball into his own net moments before the break.
Goytre had let two-goal leads slip in their two previous matches, but this time it was their turn to mount a comeback as Drew Perrett pulled one back in the 72nd minute before turning provider for captain Cameron Harris to equalise seven minutes later.
Penrhiwceiber Rangers earned a potentially crucial three points in the relegation battle with an impressive 2-1 win away at in-form Trefelin on Friday.
Fourth-place Tref headed into the game on a 10-match unbeaten streak, but were behind after 20 minutes as Rangers captain Warren Jones scored from the penalty spot.
Harvey Hughes doubled the visitors’ advantage two minutes into a second half, before Trefelin substitute Jack Bevan clawed a goal back on 68 minutes. The hosts had the chance to equalise as they won a penalty 10 minutes later, but 43-year-old Rangers goalkeeper Clint Forbes made himself a hero by denying fellow veteran Lee Trundle from the spot.
Dean Brown’s side held on to earn their first win since New Year’s Day and now are just a point adrift of safety five games left to play.
Llanelli Town maintained their two-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 home win over Caerau Ely on Friday night.
After a goalless first half, the Reds scored twice in the space of eight minutes through Ethan Cann and Liam Eason to earn a two-goal lead just after the hour mark.
Caerau Ely threatened a late comeback as Hywel Davies found the net in the 89th minute, but with Young Guns goalkeeper Exauce Dimonekene pushing high in stoppage time as his side searched for an equaliser, Llanelli substitute Danny Williams sealed victory for the hosts with a strike from distance.
Second-place Trethomas Bluebirds bounced back from defeat to Baglan Dragons last weekend with a 1-0 home win over Cwmbran Celtic on Friday.
The decisive moment came a minute before half-time when Ethan Edwards saw his shot saved by Lewis Watkins but Gareth Tedstone was on hand to score the rebound for his 16th league goal of the campaign.
Pontypridd United’s title hopes are fading after they were beaten 3-1 at home by Carmarthen Town on Friday night.
Sam Johnson marked his first start since returning to Ponty with the opening goal on 11 minutes after being played through by Tom Stokes.
Carmarthen came out firing after the break though, with goals from Noah Daley, Rio Booth and Liam Thomas turning the contest completely on its head by the 63rd minute and condemning Pontypridd to back-to-back defeats for the first time this season. The Dragons are now nine points off top spot with a game in hand over the two sides above them.
Taffs Well’s survival bid was dealt another blow as they suffered late heartbreak in a 1-0 defeat at home against Newport City on Friday.
With the game heading for a goalless stalemate, 18-year-old Steelmen substitute Mckenzie Thompson popped up at the back post to tap in Richard Noyes’ free-kick delivery and claim all three points for the visitors. Taffs Well are now nine points adrift of safety with four matches to play.
Baglan Dragons climbed into the top half of the table with a 1-0 win away at Llantwit Major on Saturday.
The hosts were on a six-match unbeaten streak heading into the game, but were beaten by Artiom Legavec’s 26th-minute goal as the Lithuanian scored for the third time in four games.
Sean Kelly’s sending off in the 77th minute saw Major finish the game with 10 men, while Baglan Dragons secured back-to-back clean sheet wins.
JD Cymru South weekend results in full:
Afan Lido 2-1 Ammanford
Llanelli Town 3-1 Caerau Ely
Pontypridd United 1-3 Carmarthen Town
Taffs Well 0-1 Newport City
Trefelin 1-2 Penrhiwceiber Rangers
Trethomas Bluebirds 1-0 Cwmbran Celtic
Llantwit Major 0-1 Baglan Dragons
Goytre United 2-2 Cambrian United
