Bluebirds run out of steam (From Western Telegraph)

Bluebirds run out of steam

Football: Vauxhall Masterfit Welsh Premier ABERYSTWYTH TOWN 4 Haverfordwest County 0

The Bluebirds are beginning to struggle a little now, after a long and successful season, but have the compensation that Caersws are struggling too and that fourth place should be coming back to the Bridge Meadow.

Park Avenue on Friday evening was cold, windy and, by the end of the game, sprinkled with snow, but the Eddie's Snooker Bar-sponsored Bluebirds were not altogether out of the game in the first half.

They may in fact have had a slight territorial advantage.

They received a warning shot across their bows in the 13th minute when Luke Sherbon broke clear and shot just over, but they retaliated two minutes later when Lee Hudgell went past three defenders in a jinking run only to shoot into the side netting.

Five minutes later Dean Rossiter blasted in a 30-yard shot which was blocked by keeper Lewis Solly and cleared after a scramble by Aneurin Thomas.

Glyndwr Hughes and Sion Meredith of Aber now began to look dangerous in attack, although there were occasional counter-flourishes from Hudgell.

In the 27th minute a Meredith shot was forced out for a corner, but then, in the even-handed pattern of the game so far, at the other end Nick Palmer saw a shot just cleared off the line. The half ended with a fine shot from Hughes being very well tipped over by Lee Kendall.

The second half began with an Aber goal, when Meredith sprang the Blues defence and rounded Kendall before scoring from close range. From then on the Blues were always on the slide and three more Aber goals came in the rest of the second half.

In the 65th minute, a mistake by Kendall led to Deryn Brace having to dive in to clear for a corner.

For all that, the Blues got to within a quarter of an hour from the end, the 75th minute, before the second goal came, when ex-Swansea player Jon Coates fed Meredith for his second.

In the 80th minute, Colin Loss uncharacteristically gave a ball away in midfield and Paul Moore was able to dart into the gap to score the Seasiders' third.

And five minutes later, Moore completed his brace when he was fed by sub Jason Rees and scored from close range.

With TNS almost certain now to win the league, it will be Cup finalists Carmarthen who take up the UEFA Cup spot for Welsh Cup winners, thus containing the league representation in Europe to just the top three, something which seems now to be beyond the Bluebirds' reach.

They will just have the compensation though that fifth-placed Caersws are also faltering badly, so it does look as if the Bluebirds could well consolidate their second top four finish in successive seasons.

Haverfordwest County: Kendall; Brace, Hudgell, Catlin (Loss, 75), Thomas, Rob Jones, Blain, Hicks, Adams, Rossiter, Palmer.

Bluebirds Tote: No winners this week the numbers were 22-45-47. Next week's prize money is£1,000.