PORTHMADOG, for once, did not start brightly as they so often do. Far from it! Their performance during the first half left much to be desired. They were tentative, slow, nervous (understandably under the circumstances!) and far too many passes went astray, writes Treflyn Jones.

However, such a criticism would, to be fair, befit both sides at the end of an untidy 45 minutes played on a sodden and heavy pitch. Having said that, the visitors turned things around in the second period and such was Port`s utter dominance after the interval, that they fully deserved to go home with all three points in the bag.

Sadly though, justice was not served to the men in black and red on Monday.

Yes, it was the hosts who started the brighter for the opening quarter of an hour or so as they managed to pen Port back in their own half.

Ironically, just as Port managed to perk up, the hosts took the lead when some indecision in Port`s back-line led to a failure to clear the ball to safety. Then, following some needless pin-ball in the visitors` box, the ball fell kindly to the long-haired raider Rhys Edwards who gleefully slammed the ball home past Oliver Farebrother in the Port goal. 1-0 to Chirk after 22 minutes.

Hope springs eternal……Indeed the remainder of the half belonged largely to the men from Gwynedd. Port centre half Ryan Williams, who had a fine game, climbed high at the far post from a corner kick only to see his firm header clear the bar.

Ten minutes later, Rhys Alun burst through on goal after stirling work by Cai Jones but his very fine half-volley came off the inside of the post. Shortly afterwards, two commendable long range efforts by Rhys Alun and Caio Evans respectively were both saved low down by Chirk`s goalkeeper Jack Edwards.

It was tough luck on Port at the end of the half. Chirk had created only one clear cut chance in the entire opening 45 and were one goal up.

Could Port up their game in the second period? Oh yes, they could……and they did!

Port were at it straight from the re-start and got their just desserts after barely eight minutes when Rhys Alun expertly got on the end of a great run and cross by Jake Jones to steer an unstoppable volley past Edwards who would become a very busy man for the remainder of the game.

Port came close to clinching the match on several occasions. Telor Williams made a tremendous run down the left flank, evading the attentions of three defenders but his shot drifted wide.

Then, a Rhys Alun free kick was saved yet again by Edwards. Brookwell was then thwarted by Edwards after a strong run by Gethin Thomas and Cai Jones was foiled by a simply superb save by Edwards as he got two strong hands to his ten yard thunderbolt to divert it to safety over the bar.

O!......mam bach!!!! But there was more to come. Rhys Alun slammed another goal-worthy effort against the bar as that man Edwards (curse him!) got the merest of fingertips on to the ball.

Then Brookwell`s volley after a typically mazey run was also saved. Yes, we fully deserved all three points to ease our relegation worries but I guess it`s all about hitting that net with greater frequency. What wouldn`t we give for a lethal goal-happy centre-forward?

The mathematics is clearly against us now in terms of maintaining our tier 2 status, but the press tells us that the sleuths at the FAW may have something up their sleeve. Let`s just wait and see.

We end our season at Y Traeth on Saturday, April 13th against the champions-in-waiting namely Holywell Town.Though this date could be subject to change. Lady Luck, where are you? Daliwn i gredu.