A LATE Joe O’Brien free-kick gave Caldicot Castle a 2-1 victory at home to Ponthir in a game which Castle manager Alex Hart described as “appalling and painful”.

“We were a goal down in the third minute,” he said.

“We gave away an indirect free kick from a back-pass which Ponthir accepted gratefully.

“James Reid equalised just before half-time after good work by Joe O’Brien and we took advantage of the visitor’s lack of a subs bench. When they lost their striker with a hamstring injury they had no-one to replace him.

“We were still appalling and it was hard work to watch from the sidelines and even when O’Brien won it with a free kick, we were still dreadful.

“The only positive I can take from it was the three points gained but it was a scrappy game and painful to watch. I’m hoping for much better performances.”

After Blackrock Rovers won 1-0 at Wainfelin Bluebirds, manager Paul Lovell said his team also turned in a “pretty lethargic performance.”

“We seem to struggle to maintain our form at the moment, going from really good to really poor in a week,” he added.

“Playing on a small and narrow pitch, we struggled to keep possession for any sustained period of time, giving the ball away time after time and inviting pressure which, to be fair, we coped with, but the narrow margin of victory meant it was nail-biting at the best of times.

“A bright start was marred by an injury to Kieron Nesbitt, but his replacement Luke James provided the pass with gave Ben Smith time and space to score the winner.

“Some solid defending saw us through but we will have to improve upon this performance to compete with Mathern on Saturday when we entertain them in the Amateur Cup.”

In Division 2, Mathern were held 0-0 at New Inn and are unbeaten for three games.

Their manager Colin Jeffery said confidence was high after winning at leaders Spencer Boys a week earlier but were denied three points by the woodwork.

“We controlled the game and had the only chances to score but James Trigg’s 30-yard shot hit the bar and then Mark Organ’s effort struck a post.

“It was frustrating but one point is better than none and the clean sheet is encouraging ahead of the Blackrock match.”

Rockfield Rovers’ boss Dave Seymour admitted their opponents were “just too good” for his men as they lost 5-0 at West of St Julians.

“We were without our top scorer, goalkeeper and captain through unavailability and illness but hopefully they will be back in time for our next match,” he added.