After a three-week spell without a game, Goytre returned to league action with a disappointing defeat to Lowly Porth on Saturday.

Perhaps the spell of inactivity had come at a higher cost than the inconvenience of a fixture backlog as the village side faded in the second half, letting slip a one-goal lead to eventually lose 2-1.

Goytre started the match brightly and took the lead after 15 minutes when Darren Haines and Symon Bailey exchanged passes before releasing Steve Collet, who rifled home.

But the visitors were level ten minutes later through Lee Griffiths as Goytre's performance fell away allowing their opponents back into the game.

And Porth went ahead ten minutes into the second half when a freak volley from Mark Davies lopped over Ryan Macanuff in the Goytre goal and nestled in the top corner of the net.

The away side were reduced to ten men shortly after when they had a defender sent off for bringing down Kevin Wallace when through on goal. But Goytre could not make the extra man count.

"I'm sure Kevin Wallace would have scored," said Goytre chairman Paul Greenhalgh, reflecting on the incident that led to Porth's dismissal.

"We're very disappointed. They were catching us on the break. We were having most of the possession but they were letting us come forward and then hitting us on the counter attack.

"In the last 20 minutes we absolutely pulverised them and got ourselves going.

"If we'd played all the game like we played the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes, we'd have been fine.

"Porth are down the bottom of the league so we thought we'd get something out of the game. We'd been playing really well up until the three-week break."

Goytre travel to Penrhiwfer next Saturday for another Welsh League Third Division match.

Meanwhile, Goytre's second team missed the chance to go top of the Gwent Central League when they squandered a two-goal lead at Govillon on Saturday.

Mike Dixon and Darren Wallace netted for Ian Rosser's side but an injury time leveler denied Goytre top spot.