THESE are worrying times at Eugene Cross Park after another muted Ebbw Vale display saw Cross Keys put their foot down in the final quarter and leave the hosts in need of a spark.

It looks as though the one club in danger of dropping out of the top flight will be from the Dragons region, and the biggest worry for Vale is that they lack the grunt up front of both Bedwas and Pontypool.

The side from Bridge Field will probably have enough to avoid the drop and that leaves a potential shoot-out between the Steelmen and Pooler.

Both sides would claim that crippling injury lists mean they are duelling with pea-shooters rather than their big guns, and that was all too clear at Eugene Cross Park on Saturday.

There was a lack of blistering pace in the backs and there was no menace or devil in the injury-hit Vale pack – at times on Saturday it was as though ever-grafting flanker Simon Pengelly was battling the Keys front eight on his own.

It was only a few years ago that the Steelmen were able to call on the likes of Ian George, Kristian Gay, Neil Edwards, John Bowd.

Unfortunately they have all moved on to pastures new, often with Vale unable to compete financially for their services, and how forwards coach Christian Loader would love to be able to have just one of such a heavyweight bunch in their pomp!

It is also a squad desperately lacking in confidence, something that is preventing them taking opportunities when they come.

Meanwhile, Keys are going in the opposite direction and though they didn’t play well on Saturday, they got the points and are serious contenders for a spot in the playoffs for next year’s British and Irish Cup.

Dragons Academy prospect Matthew Pewtner has been the pick of their backs this season, but he was absent at the weekend and may face some time watching from the stands after damaging his knee in the East versus West Wales under-20 trial game.

But Leon Andrews, a full-back/wing before this campaign, showed he is more than capable to filling the number 13 jersey with a fine display of jinking, side-stepping breaks.

However, on the whole it was an incredibly scrappy affair with errors galore. The subject of Doctor Richard Kimble’s frantic search in The Fugitive would have displayed better passing and catching than the 22 on the Eugene Cross Park pitch for much of the game.

Vale were the sharper out of the blocks and blew a big chance with just three minutes on the clock. Centres Matthew Lewis and Shaun Powell combined superbly to slice through midfield but wing Gary Wilks did not have the gas to get to the line and his popped-up pass was knocked on by Pengelly.

Simple, unforced errors were preventing either side creating chances and the best way of getting over the whitewash looked to be from capitalising on the mistakes of others.

Keys wing Marcus Johnstone had to show his blistering pace to scuttle back and save the day after former Steelman Dai Langdon’s kick had been charged down and then Vale’s Nick Eaves was unaware of a marvellous opening that came his way.

A wild pass in midfield (and there was some truly woeful distribution) was there for the taking but the lock was preoccupied with putting in a big hit, and with his head down and eyes away from the ball, allowed a potential interception try to go begging.

The boots of two former Bridgend Gareths, Bowen for Vale and David for Keys, meant the scores were locked 6-6 at the break and 12-12 approaching the hour.

And it was the fourth of David’s successes that proved to be a big factor because Lewis was also sent to the sin bin for his offence at the breakdown – a decision that frustrated the Vale coaching team – and Keys stretched away in his absence.

Fragile confidence in the home ranks meant that there was always a danger they would slip away in the face of a large deficit and that proved to be the case.

David hit another penalty and then left wing Nathan Trownbridge finished off a super move on 62 minutes, taking the pass from prop Richard Cornock (who was excellent in the set piece and with ball), who himself had been put clear by a terrific Jevon Groves offload, and David converted to provide a ten-point buffer.

Vale tried to at least salvage a losing bonus point, aided by Keys flanker Rob Nash being yellow-carded for a trip, but the killer blow came from one of their attacks inside the visitors’ 22.

The ball was kicked out of a ruck and was flicked out to Johnstone, who raced over from 80 yards.

There was still time for Groves to go over for a well-deserved try, and it was another terrific one created by Ryan James and Ben Watkins, but there was no time left for Keys to record their first bonus point of the season.

Not that they will be complaining after their third four-point haul from three Gwent derbies this season. Now they just have to conquer somebody from outside the Dragons region, while Ebbw Vale desperately need to get something from Saturday’s trip to Bedwas.

Ebbw Vale: E Lewis-Pratt, N Wilcox, M Lewis, S Powell, G Wilks, G Bowen (A Williams 76), A Jenkins (captain, N Jones 70), A Howell, M Williams (O Phillips 76), C Ackland, N Eaves, M Amos, J Griffiths, S Pengelly, A Llewellyn.

Scorers: penalties – G Bowen (4).

Cross Keys: G David (C Pocock 77), M Johnstone, L Andrews, P Williams, N Trowbridge, D Langdon (R James 68), O Jones, J Price, L Burns (captain, R Emms 77), R Cornock (G Gould 77), C Bridges (G Gladwyn 74), B Watkins, R Peebles (T Lampard 74), R Nash, J Groves.

Scorers: tries – N Trowbridge, M Johnstone, J Groves; conversions – G David (2), L Andrews; penalties – G David (5).

Referee: Colin Kirkhouse.

Argus star man: Leon Andrews