Porthmadog 1 Port Talbot 1

A GOAL apiece inside the first half hour was all that these evenly matched rivals managed, although the later near-misses included efforts against the woodwork at both ends.

For Porthmadog, the outcome was another frustration, amounting to their 14th draw in all competitions and 11th in the league, which adds up to 22 points lost.

Manager Osian Roberts said: “This was a difficult game played in difficult conditions, because the pitch – and it was no-one’s fault – was extremely hard causing an unpredictable bounce, and players on both sides had problems.

“Port Talbot’s goal was awful from our point of view – a real mess by our defence – but we fought back well to get a fine equaliser ahead of half time.”

It was a back pass by Ryan Davies that fell short to leave keeper Richard Harvey stranded on 11 minutes enabling Port Talbot’s Scott Barrow to seize possession and net from close range.

Another Porthmadog blunder soon after saw the visitors’ Dane Williams race clear but Harvey succeeded in blocking the shot with his legs this time.

Home blushes were removed on 25 minutes when Richard Hughes got on the end of a Marcus Orlik flick to flight a right-angled 15-yarder over Kristian Rogers.

Ryan Davies, eager to atone for his earlier misdemeanour, powered an effort against the bar following a corner and then brother Les was denied by a goal-line clearance.

But Porthmadog had an escape towards the end as well, when the away team’s sub Chad Bond blasted a special from 25 yards that rattled the home side’s crossbar.