Drew Fahiya scored
one and created the other as Rhoose out-played Sully Sports at Bryntirion Park to seal promotion in an entertaining 2-0 play-off victory.
It was an energetic performance from the men in blue and
they deserved their victory to seal a place in the Welsh Football League Division Three as James Dixon and Fahiya himself had further
chances to extend their lead.
Sully created little, but had Gareth Hemmens not fired
straight at Rhoose stopper Barrie Niblett with the scores at 0-0 things could
have been different.
Rhoose and Sully Sports line up before the big game.
A scrappy opening finally calmed down, and Dixon dragged an
effort wide after 14 minutes when Fahiya wriggled free on the right and cut the
ball back to him, the connection not the best. Joseph Hinds then nodded a
corner wide minutes later.
Hemmens missed his big chance with Niblett gathering at the
second attempt, before Nicholas Davison curled a free-kick in to the arms of
Sully ‘keeper Kieron Sharratt’s arms and then former Bridgend Town man Fahiya
turned a defender and fired over on the half hour.
Four minutes later, they were ahead. Fahiya and Dixon again
combined well to pull the Sully defence out of position, and when the former
worked the ball in at the second attempt he squared for Davison to fire them in
to the lead from close range.
Sully looked shellshocked, and a skewed Gavin Beddard effort
wide was all they could muster in response before the interval, with a
better-placed Hemmens furious he didn’t receive the pass.
Sports started the second period the better, and Hemmens saw
a header deflected over before Edward Jones nodded the resulting corner over
the bar having lost his marker at the front post.
But Rhoose found their feet again having heeded the warning.
Dixon drove wide across goal after a tackle on Davison had fallen kindly for
him, before the goalscorer outmuscled two defenders to chase a chip over the top
but fired straight at Sharratt, who did well to stop the effort with his foot.
Sully made a couple of half chances, the best being a
cross-shot across goal from Hemmens that Garon Davies couldn’t reach at the
back stick, and they were made to pay for their lack of creativity.
Fahiya made sure of the result on 74. After fluffing his
first effort when he miss-timed his shot from a Davison cut back, Liam Jones
played the ball back in to him to take a touch, compose, and fire home past the
diving Sharratt.
Sully again tried to force the issue but created little,
Jones again nodding straight at Nibblett with their best effort.
Late on, Rhoose could have made it three. Dixon was played
in by Hinds but saw his shot deflected across goal. Fahiya struck powerfully at
goal, but Sharratt pulled off a brilliant one-handed save to deny him his
second and the game drew to its conclusion.
Rhoose celebrate their promotion at the final whistle.
The Rhoose No10 was delighted to gain promotion after the
club had seen a few attempts fall short, saying: “It’s massive [to go up]. They’ve
been trying for years and this year it’s finally come true.
“We’ll come back next year hopefully stronger and go up
again. The sky is the limit!”
Sully’s player/coach Michael Fowler urged his players not to
let the defeat get them too down, saying: “It’s the same as last year, we’ve
done it before. We rebuild and we go again.
“It’s been a good season, it’s still a successful one. We
won the league again. We’ll keep knocking at the door and we’ll keep going.
“You’ve got to try and not get too down over the
disappointments and not too high over the successes and hopefully, keeping that
mentality will do us well next year.”
Rhoose will now enter the Welsh League along with Gwent
county champions Lliswerry and Cwmaman United from West Wales.
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