Football

Grange Allstars v Radyr Rangers

Cardiff Combination League

Sam Cornish Cup Final

Saturday 27th May 2023

Kick Off 14.30 On Time!

Grange Allstars 3 Radyr Rangers 1, attendance 79

27’ 1-0

45’ + 2, 2-0

48’ 2-1

90’ + 9, 3-1 (pen)

@ Llanishen High School, 3G Pitch

Heol Hir

Llanishen

Cardiff

CF14 5YL

£1 Admission, including Programme, 4 pages.

This final was played at Llanishen High School 3G pitch, a venue that also hosts the games of Llanishen Rugby Union Club, hence the rugby posts behind the goals. Viewing is along the whole of the near side, where there is also a small kit stand, although standing room only. It was certainly useful today, but not for sheltering from the rain, but the blistering sun, as temperatures hovered around 22-23 degrees throughout.

These two play in Division 1 (the middle of three divisions) of the Cardiff Combination and it was 4th versus 2nd as far as final league placings went. They were evenly matched throughout, although Allstars (how the club spell their name, rather than All Stars as suggested on the programme) could have been out of sight before halftime, had they not wasted the better of the chances produced. A follow in to a shot parried by the ‘keeper saw them break the deadlock and their lead was doubled in stoppage time, when a through ball was coolly taken wide of the ‘keeper and rolled in from a tight angle. When Radyr pulled it back to 2-1 a few minutes into the second half, poking in at the far post following a corner that wasn’t cleared, it kept the game interesting. Three minutes into stoppage time Radyr saw a header come back off the crossbar, but Grange finally killed the game off nine minutes into stoppage time, when they scored from a penalty, which had seen Radyr reduced to ten men following a second yellow card for the foul.

The usual nightmare Bank Holiday traffic meant an arduous four hour drive to Cardiff, where the ‘live traffic’ was certainly earning its keep on the SatNav, diverting off the M4 on various A and B roads before Bristol, then again around Newport. The return journey took 90 minutes less!