WWFA Round Five:

Carew 5

Giants Grave 2

Carew put on a heroic second half display to emphatically defeat Giants Grave and march into the last four of this prestigious competition.

Just three days earlier, The Rooks lost 4-2 to Hakin United in the Senior Cup semi-final, and Carew manager Rob Scourfield and assistant Jeremy Griffiths, knew if they lost this important West Wales Cup tie then their season was effectively over.

The Recreation Ground was passed fit just an hour before kick-off, and thankfully it was The Rooks who opened the scoring in the 15th minute to settle the nerves, striker Sam Christopher profiting with a neat six-yard finish.

But the visitors hit back hard, as Dean Evans equalised and then the same player added a second, and it gave the unbeaten Neath Premier League outfit a slender 2-1 cushion at half time.

After the interval The Rooks settled with man of the match Iwan Izzard pulling all the strings from his central midfield position.

Ten minutes after the break it was Izzard who equalised with a powerful header at a corner.

On the hour The Rooks took the lead when the Christopher brothers combined, Jack’s route one ball from inside his own half, released Sam who calmly chipped goalkeeper Kieran Hyde.

Sam’s young co striker Scott Ferney struck twice inside ten minutes to wrap up the tie. Ferney unleashed a sweetly struck left footed finish for the fourth, and pounced again in similar fashion for the fifth, to leave the Neath outfit stunned.

You would have to go back to 1972 when Carew last reached the last four of this competition, they have never played in the final, and are just 90 minutes away from reaching the final and first visit to the magnificent Liberty Stadium.

Carew: Tom Davies, Tom Grover, Iwan Izzard, Max Brindley, Ian Darbyshire, Shaun Whitfield, Scott Ferney, Zac Rowell, Sam Christopher, Jack Christopher, Alex Bayley. Subs: James Hinchliffe, Morgan Scourfield, Haydn Shapcott.

Giants Grave: Kieran Hyde, Ashleigh Griffiths, Josh Davies, Anthony Price, Christopher Mahoney, Michael Chaves, Luke Pearson, Sam Williams, Richard Evans, Christopher Hopkin, Dean Evans. Subs: Ben Wainwright, Richard Barnes, Simon Harford, Cameron Evans.