By Jack Cleaver and Ben Evans
UNIVERSITY of South Wales 3rd earned the bragging rights in the USW derby as they edged the 4th in a nine-goal thriller.
JJ Ogugua’s late winner proved the difference as the 3s came from behind three times in the barn at the USW Sports Park.
It was the 4s who made the faster start to the game and controlled proceedings in the first ten minutes, threatening the 3s back line who struggled to cope with the high intensity.
The 4s got the goal which their start deserved in the 18th minute through a courtesy of a calamity of errors from the 3s. Ben Williams gave away a cheap corner which was sliced into his own net by Raeon Mignott.
The 3s needed a quick response and thats exactly what they got as they equalised directly from the kick off. Mignott atoning for his earlier error as he got on the end of a cross and controlled the ball nicely before finishing in the bottom corner.
The game began to open up as half time approached and the 3s took the lead courtesy of another goalkeeping error. The 4s stopper missing the clearance, leaving the unmarked Mikey Wicherek with the simple task of taping the ball into the open goal.
With halftime approching, the 4s level the scoreline, with Sion Herman finishing off a crisp counterattack, cutting in from the left and firing the ball into the bottom corner as the sides entered the break level.
Both teams picked up where they left things in the first half. Just two minutes into the second half the 4s found themselves ahead once again when a cross came in and 3s defender Cameron Smith, in an attempt to clear the ball, ended up turning the ball into his own net.
Fouls began to become a theme of the match as the second half went on.
In the 72nd minute, the 3s were putting pressure, with their winger doing well to out-strength his opposite number and put a testing ball into the box, which despite an impressive save from the 4s stopper, was finished by Ogugua at the second attempt to make it 3-3.
Just one minute after the equaliser the 4s won a freekick close to the half way line which was swung across the face of goal, evading everyone and nestling in the bottom corner to give the 4s a 4-3 lead with little over 15 minutes remaining.
The back and forth nature of the game continued five minutes later as Wicherek grabbed his second of the game, getting on the end of a terrific ball over the top and finishing superbly, with a dink over the keeper.
With just five minutes left to go in the game a cross came in from the right which was brought down by the 3s Ogugua, who regained his composure and fired the ball into the top corner to give the 3s the lead, which they held onto to claim the USW bragging rights.