ABERYSTWYTH Town manager Neville Powell was left to rue his side’s bad luck as the Seasiders slipped to their third successive league defeat against Cardiff Met last weekend.

After seeing Joe Culshaw sent off after just six minutes, 10-man Aber conceded a goal in each half - both deflected into the net by home player John McKenna - as they slipped to their second defeat at Park Avenue this season.

Aber, who had been bolstered by the return of strikers Craig Hobson, John Owen and Luke Borrelli from injury, had one more blow before the end, as Owen hobbled off the pitch.

Having already made three subs, Aber finished the match with just nine men on the field, and from there on battled not to concede further goals.

Powell could take heart from a spirited effort against the odds, but league points will be the priority when they travel to face mid Wales rivals Newtown at Latham Park on Saturday.

He admitted that his plans had been thrown into disarray last weekend as Culshaw’s reckless tackle on Kyle McCarthy earned the left back a straight red card from referee Lee Evans.

“We’ve had our fair share of bad luck in the last few weeks, with injuries and decisions,” reflected Powell.

“The sending off has killed us today in the first five minutes. Joe was a bit high in his tackle, but whether it was a red card, I’d need to see it again.

“Fair do’s to the lads, they kept going. We had a bit of a game plan with 10 men, but it was always going to be difficult against full-time Cardiff Met.

“If we had taken one or two of the chances that we had created, it could have possibly been a different game.

“I’ve got no complaints about what the players gave me today, they battled well, but we had no luck again.”

With Culshaw suspended and Owen an injury doubt, Cledan Davies and Joe Phillips are pushing for starting places, along with local youngsters Jack Rimmer and Matthew Jones.

The club was given a lift on Sunday as the development side continued their fine start to the season with an excellent 3-0 victory at Haverfordwest, to make it three wins from three.

Midfielder Jones, who has joined his hometown club after a two year scholarship at Shrewsbury Town, capped a man of the match performance with two goals, with Rimmer also scoring.

Manager Bari Morgan and assistant boss Iwan Roberts will be looking for the Under 19s side to maintain momentum at home to reigning champions Cambrian & Clydach on Sunday.

“There are still things to improve on and we must not get carried away as the next two games will be a real test for us,” said Morgan. “But we are full of confidence and belief right now.

“As a group, the boys have put in another excellent performance, and our first clean sheet was an added bonus. What impressed me most was how we are performing as a team.”