Buckley Town scored their first points of the season with a comfortable home victory over their former Welsh Premier opponents with a brace from new young signing Jack Chaloner.

Town fielded their third different line up of the campaign with Stuart Woods, Gareth Edwards, Neil Wynne and Jack Chaloner all coming into the side that lost at home to Gap Connah’s Quay last Friday.

The windy conditions made play difficult during a somewhat scrappy first half that saw both sides find it difficult to put too many passes together.

The first real chance of the game came after four minutes when Cai Jones of Porthmadog tried to head a high ball near to Buckley’s goal but in attempting to do so fouled keeper Jamie Hulse. He hooked it into the goal but referee Ian Jones ruled it out for the obstruction of the keeper who had had the ball knocked out of his grasp.

Jack Chaloner playing down Buckley’s right made a bright start to the game and it was not long before James McIntosh got into the action by looping a header over the Porthmadog defence that gave Joe Desormeaux a shooting chance but his shot had little venom and was straight at keeper Richard Harvey.

Neil Wynne soon found himself in down the right after good work from skipper John Leonard but his shot was skewed wide of Porth’s left hand post.

After eighteen minutes Porthmadog Craig Roberts saw a header from a Jamie McDaid cross cleared by Stuart Woods from the goal line.

On 21 minutes Buckley should have gone ahead when a Chaloner cross from the right put Neil Wynne in on goal and behind the Porthmadog defence, he controlled a bouncing ball but could only lob it onto the top of the net when he really should have scored.

From that point on Buckley began to control the game with Gareth Edwards notable in the Buckley defence. Quirke and Leonard controlled the play and they looked for James McIntosh to hold the ball up or flick it on for Wynne or Chaloner. One such break saw Chaloner in down the left but his well struck shot whistled wide.

Joe Desormeaux was involved from start to finish and his work rate as always was high. Picking the ball up on the halfway line he found Wynne down the Buckley left and he carried the ball forward and crossed. Jack Chaloner got onto the end of the cross but fired the ball wide on the half volley.

Buckley started the second half where they had left off the first and they continued to look for the opener. Porthmadog tried to get into the game but most of their play was ineffective and Buckley increasingly got on top.

On 58 minutes Neil Wynne gave way to Gary McConnell and the rest of the game was set in place. McConnell seemed to unsettle the Porthmadog defence from the off and within a minute Buckley were one up.

With 61 minute gone Porthmadog failed to clear their lines and Freeman found an open Desormeaux on the edge of the box. He fired a shot in through the crowded penalty area but Porthmadog keeper Richard Harvey saved pushing the ball out to his left hand post only to see Jack Chaloner pounce on the rebound and net from two yards out.

McConnell continued to trouble Porthmadog and soon after James McIntosh rose to get on the end of a cross to head goal wards.

John Leonard then won a free kick on Buckley’s left flank and Stuart Woods found Gaz Edwards at the back post. A simple pass found an unmarked Jack Chaloner in the box and he fired home on 63 minutes.

Worse was to follow for Porthmadog and the contest effectively over when Geraint Mitchell received his marching orders for a deliberate handball that saw a second yellow card being issued.

Gary McConnell continued to raid and he really should have put Buckley well clear opening his account for the season with two further chances. The first saw his left ankle clipped from behind when in on goal and in his honesty to try and score he stubbed the ball forward allowing Harvey to make the save. The second saw him fire wide when in down the right.

John Leonard should have done better when in front of goal taking a shot on when a simple squared pass may have found James McIntosh in a better position.

Ant Williams and Terry Pughe came on late in the game replacing Chaloner and McIntosh and Williams could have opened Porthmadog up again if he had managed to control the ball better following a good run.

All in all Gareth Thomas will have found the first win of the season satisfactory with his team rarely troubled by Porthmadog and able to look forward to the forthcoming first away match of the season against local rivals Flint Town United (4th September) and cup games with a fair degree of confidence.

The Welsh Cup draw for the 1st Round to be played on the 11th September is made on Monday mooring with Welshpool our guests in the Huws Gray Cup the following Saturday.

Buckley: Hulse, Freeman, Wood, Rowlands, Gaz Edwards, Quirk, Desormeaux, Leonard, Wynne (McConnell 58′), McIntosh (Pughe 88′), Jack Chaloner (Anthony Williams 80′)

Goals: Jack Chaloner (2)

Porthmadog: Richard Harvey, Geraint Mitchell, Mike Foster, Darren Jones, Euron Roberts, Gareth Owen (Dan Pyrs 65′), Janie McDaid, Jack Jones, Craig Roberts, Cai Jones (Marcus Orlik 65′), Iwan Williams (Jonathan Sadler 79′)

Red Card: Geraint Mitchell (2nd yellow) 62′

Referee: Ian Evans (Wrexham) Attendance: 96

<Pictures>