Welsh League Division One:
Haverfordwest County 3
Llanelli Town 1

THIS was a really decisive victory in a game which the Bluebirds dominated for most of the way, sealing the win with crisp finishes from Greg Walters, Joe Leahy and Nicky Palmer, writes Robert Nisbet.

As with many important victories, the basis for this one was laid at the back. In front of Conah McFenton, who did the relatively small amount he was called on to do very skilfully, Sam Rodon and Sean Pemberton were once again superb. Matthew Broome and Kristian Speake completed a solid back four and they were abetted by Ricky Watts, dug in amongst them as extra defender, Palmer man-marking Jordan Davies out of the game, and an ebullient Walters completing the midfield.

At the other end, the indisposed Joe Leahy had to compete for the ball with towering centre back Lee Bevan but troubled him all afternoon and capped another good display with a fourth goal in four games. Out on the flanks the mercurial Dan Williams and the livewire Steff Williams kept on the pressure which led to all three goals.

It was Dan Williams’ skill and footwork which set up the first goal in the fourth minute, when he won a difficult ball out on the right and swung over a cross that broke for Walters to crash in. 

In the next 20 minutes Leahy nearly put Steff Williams in, Rodon headed just over from a Dan Williams corner, and the Williams boys played a lovely one-two which saw Dan just blocked out at the post.  

The Reds had a brief flurry of attacking on the half-hour mark, but after a bad miss by Robert Thomas in front of goal, the momentum died away and for the last ten minutes of the half, the Blues were rampant. 

One fine Leahy cross caused a scramble and a short Dan Williams corner neatly played back to Watts saw his shot deflected for a corner. 

In the second half, the Blues continued where they had left off. The second goal came in the 53rd minute when Pemberton’s header from a Dan Williams corner was blocked and the ball dropped for Leahy to drive in. 

There was a brief scare in the 70th minute, when some slack tackling left Liam Samuel with a chance and he drove in. There was then five minutes of more heated Llanelli pressure, but the danger may have been as much in the mind as in the football. 

The Bluebirds clinched the win with a third goal in the 77th minute and again the move originated with Dan Williams, whose fine cross  was scrambled out only for Steff Williams to win the ball back and square it for Palmer to score. The League leaders were soundly beaten. 

On Saturday the Blues travel to Goytre before they return to the Conygar Bridge Meadow on Tuesday, October 3 to play Carmarthen in the Welsh Premier Cup, kick-off 7.30pm.

Haverfordwest: Conah McFenton, Matthew Broome, Kristian Speake, Sean Pemberton, Sam Rodon, Nicky Palmer, Ricky Watts, Greg Walters, Joe Leahy (Tim Hicks, 68), Dan Williams, Steffan Williams. 
Subs not used: Alaric Jones, Leon Luby, Luke Raymond, Nick Jones (g/k).