USW men’s 1st football 4-6 Cardiff University 1st

Two goals apiece from USW attackers Niro Gowran and Laurent Ngunjoh sent the hosts in at half-time ahead.

But a second half brace from Olly Redhead and a goal from Koyo Deguchi put the seal on Cardiff’s revival.

USW made an excellent start scoring straight from kick-off. Gowran received the ball and his audacious effort flew in over the helpless Henry Betts.

A quick response from Cardiff saw them level within minutes of the opener when captain Giles Basson controlled a low cross and calmly finished off the right hand post.

Two goals soon followed through, the second of which saw him finish clinically into the bottom right hand corner from Gowran’s through ball.

Basson reduced the deficit but in the 36th minute, Gowran added a fourth for USW. The attacker latched onto a curling through ball from Liam Davies and efficiently dispatched his chance past the on-rushing Betts.

Continuing to push for a route back into the game, Cardiff hit USW on the counter just before the break.

It was the striker Basson who again made the breakthrough with a deft chipped finish from the edge of the box.

The second half lacked the speed and intensity of the first as USW attempted to take the sting out of the game.

But Cardiff grew in dominance, with prolonged periods of possession.

Cardiff found an equaliser after a sustained amount of pressure and it was the substitute Koyo Deguchi with the goal.

The ball came across the box to Deguchi who bent his shot into the right corner with his first touch of the game.

Soon after, Cardiff took the lead for the first time in the game with Redhead exquisitely finishing off a deep cross with a scissor-kick. Redhead arrived late into the box and skilfully scissor-kicked the ball into the goal.

Bad turned to worse for USW as Redhead won a penalty in the box after some tricky footwork saw him chopped down in the box.

The subsequent penalty was smashed into the bottom left corner to make the away win certain.