THANKS to a professional and patient performance on a sunny afternoon in Flintshire, Porthmadog succeeded in securing second place in the North‑West league and, in doing so, sealed their spot in the end‑of‑season play‑off after a demanding campaign. Huge congratulations to them, writes Treflyn Jones.

The first half proved to be an extremely one‑sided affair as Port dominated possession and territory, launching wave after wave of attacks against a stubborn and disciplined defence.

Mynydd Isa were more than happy to sit deep, absorb the pressure, and settle for the occasional rare counter‑attack of their own.

With all the pressure, Port created a host of half‑chances.

After eight minutes, Osian Evans was first to reach a dangerous cross from Josh Banks, only to see his powerful header bounce kindly off the crossbar and away to safety.

Then, after ten minutes, Shaun Cavanagh forced Elliot Quinlan into a low save as he struck from a tight angle.

On 25 minutes, the visitors came even closer when Quinlan dived to his left to produce an excellent save from a strong Gruff John header following a Cavanagh free‑kick.

When would Port finally score? Well, it came one minute into added time.

The move was a complex one, but after Port won two aerial duels inside the penalty area, Osian Evans rose highest to guide the third header well beyond Quinlan to make it 0–1 just moments before the half‑time whistle. At last.

Mynydd Isa’s youngsters pushed far harder in attack at the start of the second half, and Ryan Williams, Josh Banks, Gruff John, Gruff Ellis and Caio Evans all had to stay alert.

But truth be told, before Port supporters had time to worry too much, the Traeth lads scored their second, causing all concerns about Llannefydd to melt away before our eyes.

A low corner was swung in from the wing and, after the initial effort was blocked, Osian Evans was on hand to smash the ball into the net with a thunderous strike from 12 yards.

Mynydd Isa continued to attack sporadically, but they failed to force a single save from Josh Cooke throughout the afternoon.

It was great to see two of the younger players, Hari Price‑Clishelm and Steffan Alford, perform so well after coming on as substitutes, and we wish Steffan the best of luck now in avoiding further injuries.

The players can relax a little as they face Llannefydd in their final league match next Saturday, with kick‑off at 2:30 this time.

Best of luck also in the play‑off. It looks very likely that either Knighton Town or Dolgellau will be their opponents in that decisive match. Keep believing.