Dafabet Welsh Premier
Haverfordwest County 1
Port Talbot Town 2

The very spirited and often skilful fight-back which the Bluebirds staged in the second half was not enough to avoid defeat but it did a great deal to restore heart after a disappointing first half.  

The Blues took a real body blow in the 4th minute when they conceded a very untidy goal. Port Talbot’s Cortez Belle pumped a speculative long ball into the heart of the Blues’ penalty area and Scott James went up for it with the Steelmen’s Martin Rose. The ball spun clear from the challenge and Rose was able to stab it in. Referee Dean John found no fault with the contact and the Bluebirds were a goal down. 
       
For the rest of the first half Port Talbot held the initiative and the second goal after 22 minutes, was with the run of play. The Blues’ defence seemed for a few seconds to be caught flat-footed and the free-scoring Rose was into a gap to notch his second. 

Although the Bluebirds were visibly battling for the rest of the first half to get back into the game they seemed very often to be relying on a series of attempted 30-yard defence-splitting passes to do the trick when maybe they could have been building with a little more composure. Steffan Williams had two decent cracks at goal before half-time but the score remained 2-nil.

The second half was a very different matter. We have to assume that Wayne Jones’ half-time talk was a telling one, but there were a new impetus and momentum to the Blues game from the re-start. Another positive feature was the introduction of Declan Carroll, whose tricky forward runs caused the Port Talbot defence some bother. Luke Borrelli and Williams were also sparking and the visitors’ goal came under pressure. The Bluebirds began to play Ricky Watts in down the right and there were a couple of big sprints down the left from Greg Walters, who had moved to left back after a knock to Ryan Batley.
 
There was some reward, even if not enough, in the first minute of stoppage time when, after a clever move, Borrelli hammered in from 15 yards. The Blues will be left to reflect that at least a message has gone out to the league that the Bridge Meadow will not be an easy place to come.

Haverfordwest County: 1. Scott James, 2. Ricky Watts, 3. Ryan Batley (18. Nicky Palmer 32'), 4. Sean Pemberton, 5. Dale Griffiths, 6.S am Rodon, 7. Luke Borrelli, 8. Greg Walters, 11. Steffan Williams (9. Jordan Follows 75'), 14. Kieran Howard, 15. John Roberts (10. Declan Carroll 45')   
Subs not used: 17. Jack Christopher, 11. Steffan Williams.