PURE SWANSEA: ‘A long time coming’: Johnston scores on first start back as leaders beat Caerphilly

Tom Johnston has waited a long time for this one.

The midfielder’s first goal of his second spell at Pure Swansea set the leaders on their way to a 3-1 win over Caerphilly Athletic at Swansea Bay Sports Park on Saturday, and kept their unbeaten league run going.

It came on his first start back from a long-term injury, and Johnston, who returned from Ammanford Town at the end of the summer window, knew what it meant.

“It has been a long time coming for me personally, after a long time injured, so to get back to my first start, to get on the score sheet is really important,” he said. “It would be nice to add a few more of those over the season.”

Pure came into the game off a hard-fought goalless draw at second-placed Aberystwyth Town, and were on top from the first whistle.

Johnston breaks the deadlock

The breakthrough came midway through the first half, when Johnston got his goal.

Pure kept coming, and just before the break Kyle Copp won a penalty.

His spot kick was saved.

Copp was first to the rebound, and it was 2-0 at half-time.

Johnston said Pure had been braced for a fight from a side they beat in last season’s Ardal South League Cup final.

“I think we started quite well, to be honest. You never know; I know these boys played them in a final before, so they were always going to come back at us, and we were ready for that,” he said.

“But we played relatively well and kept the ball moving, so to get ahead in the first half really helped us. It was a good performance.”

Williams settles it

It stayed one-way traffic after the restart, and Danny Williams wrapped up the points minutes into the second half with Pure’s third.

Caerphilly got one back through Elliot Humphries, but there was never any danger of a comeback.

Johnston made way for Logan Jenkins on 58 minutes. Mason Kelly, who went off injured at Aberystwyth, came on for Williams six minutes later, and Jack Price replaced Bradley Gibbings late on.

‘No pressure on the boys’

The win keeps Pure top of the Novira Cymru South and still the only side in the division without a league defeat.

Johnston believes the lack of expectation on a newly promoted side is part of the reason.

“It’s been a really good start. I think there’s no pressure on the boys. You can see in the performances, they’re playing with freedom. They know how to get the ball down and play,” he said.

“They have a really talented front line as well, so we’re never going to be short of goals. I think being underdogs of sorts, or no one has expectations, it’s a key asset.”

Aberystwyth kept pace by winning the big game of the round 3-1 at third-placed Pontypridd United, leaving them a point behind and Pontypridd four points off the top.

Pure travel to ninth-placed Afan Lido on Friday night (7.45pm kick-off).

Pure Swansea

Kane Draper, Harvey Chapman, Jacob Lund, Ollie Roberts, Zac Brown, Jordan Hughes (c), Danny Williams (Mason Kelly 64), Tom Johnston (Logan Jenkins 58), Bradley Gibbings (Jack Price 81), Kyle Copp, Casey Coughlin.