SEASIDERS TARGET CLEAR

The Seasiders should, somewhat belatedly, begin the second half of the 2013-14 season next Saturday at the Athletic Field, having ended the first half with seven wins from eleven league games and only four defeats. Thus is easily their best start since the promotion season of 2009-10, but curiously identical with their barnstorming second half of last season.

Much has changed this term, not least the adoption of a consistent approach to team selection. Although Penarth have fielded as more than 30 players this season, the core of the team has remained steady and, it has to be said, successful.

No Division 3 (SE) club was involved with the Swalec Plate Round Three the Saturday before last, but since the Seasiders have only one game to rearrange, Fairwater’s preference for a trip to Gwernyfed meant another week without a fixture. In the event, the match at Gwernyfed never went ahead, but since the Brecon beat fifth-placed Pentyrch 26-22 in the one that did, Penarth held on to fourth place.

With last Saturday’s game at Pentyrch also falling victim to the weather, only two Div 3 (SE) fixtures went ahead and St Peters’ 23-13 win away at bottom club Tylorstown finally allowed them to ease past the Seasiders into fourth place.

Looking ahead to the second half of the season, promotion may well be a bit of a long shot, as leaders Cardiff Quins, winners at the Athletic Field last time out, are still fully seventeen points ahead of the Penarth. Although they have got through the their opening 11 games with only the one defeat, at home to Fairwater, they didn’t seem markedly better than Penarth when the teams met, so perhaps it’s not all over.

Next Saturday’s opponents Gwernyfed, on the other hand, enjoyed a flying start when they won their first two games, but this came to an abrupt halt as the Seasiders turned them over 27-13, in a bonus-point win on a sunny afternoon in Talgarth. The Green, White and Blacks recovered immediately to record a further two wins, but since then have lost four out of five and sit in eighth place, six points behind Penarth.
League Division 3 South-East
Saturday 25th January 2014
PENARTH v Gwernyfed
The Athletic Field, Lavernock Road
Kick-off 2.30pm