Haverfordwest County beat Pontypridd Town 10-1 in Welsh League Division One

With 41 minutes gone at the Conygar Bridge Meadow, Dan Williams broke from deep in his own half.

He slipped the ball to Lee Trundle, who instantly returned it with the kind of flick that once made him a pioneer of Soccer AM, before Williams surged forward and produced a defence splitting ball that put Elliot Scotcher through on goal.

As it happens, the linesman’s flag went up, Scotcher grinned ruefully, Trundle gave the thumbs up to an appreciative youngster in the stands, and an impressed crowd applauded.

By this point the score was already 5-0 and while this was one of the rare Bluebird first half attacks that didn’t result in a goal, the passage of a play encapsulated what Haverfordwest’s display was all about.

Incisive, accurate, and smiles on faces – with Trundle and Williams running riot to boot.

Much of the talk around The Meadow this week had inevitably centred around the debut of the Swansea City favourite, but despite him scoring four times, this was far more than a one-man display as Sean Cresser’s side registered the biggest win of his reign as manager.

It took just three minutes for the chaos to start, as left back Alaric Jones surged into the area and then the ricochet from his 50-50 challenge fell kindly to Williams, whose low shot on the turn beat Pontypridd keeper David Burnett.

It proved the start of a long day for Burnett, who two minutes later was plucking the ball out the net again.

And it came all too easily for the Bluebirds, as Ricky Watts set Ben Fawcett free down the right, and his low cross found Williams at the back post – who in turn laid off Trundle for the simplest of finishes.

The one way traffic continued as Williams went clean through but this time was denied by Burnett, and when the keeper was beaten by Tim Hicks’ in-swinging shot, Lee Hartshorn intervened to head the ball to safety.

At the other end, Pontypridd striker Gavin Beddard was doing his best to exert himself with limited service, clashing with home keeper Steve Hall and having a close range shot diverted away by Bluebird skipper Sean Pemberton.

But after 23 minutes, the game was over as a contest as Williams pounced on a defensive mix up, breezed past Burnett, and made full use of the empty net.

And three emphatically became four with the kind of majestic finish that the Bluebirds signed Trundle for.

He dribbled into the area and then under pressure from away skipper Scott Hillman, and a tight angle seemingly making a shot improbable, executed an inch perfect chip that nestled in the far corner of the goal.

‘Worth the admission fee alone’ can be a tedious cliché. But this moment probably was.

The striker soon had his hat trick, again tormenting Hillman down the right side of the area before cutting onto his trusty left foot, which duly did the rest.

At that point there was only 35 minutes gone and moments of respite for Pontypridd were brief, with a rare attack seeing Aiden Lewis firing over from long range.

At the other end the waves kept coming, with Fawcett hammering against the bar from Trundle’s cross, before the latter teed up Williams whose low effort was gathered by Burnett.

Those questioning if the home side could maintain the same intensity after half time were answered within 30 seconds of the restart as Trundle bagged his fourth.

This time it was the right foot that prevailed, as he drove a shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

He wasn’t done there, back on his left foot to curl an effort that was bound for the top corner but tipped away by Burnett, before the overworked keeper kept out an angled shot from Williams.

Fawcett was continuing to buzz around and also forced a save with a low 20 yard drive, but midway through the half the visitors fashioned, if nothing else, a consolation goal to take away from The Meadow.

Fittingly it was the industrious Beddard who got it, heading home powerfully from Danny Hooper’s corner and no doubt irritating Cresser by his side’s failure to keep a clean sheet.

Scotcher soon restored order though with a low free kick that Burnett could only parry into the net.

And then Jack Wilson, on for fellow former Hakin player Fawcett, continued his impressive start to life with in blue with a right foot cross that Williams gleefully swept home to complete his hat trick.

Trundle was withdrawn 11 minutes from time to widespread applause, prompting the welcome return of Ashley Bevan after a season out with injury, but the scoring wasn’t done there as Hicks headed in the ninth from Scotcher’s corner and then in injury time, Haverfordwest hit double figures.

And it was Wilson who did the honours, keeping his cool when clean through to round Burnett and tap home.

It completed a rout and a second successive league win for Haverfordwest against a newly promoted side. Cresser and co will be fully aware that sterner tests lie ahead, but the manner and style with which they have started the campaign, enhanced by Trundle’s explosive entrance, will only serve to heighten confidence and optimism.

Post-match reaction:

Lee Trundle: “It was an unbelievable team performance really. To play like we did and score 10 goals, it’s fantastic for everyone involved.

“Everyone knows how the good the surface is here and there is a lot of pace playing around me. The young lads save me from a lot of running.”

Sean Cresser: “You know what I’m going to say - I’m annoyed it ended up 10-1 not 10-0. I said at half time I wanted a clean sheet so the goal against breaks my heart!

“It went well for us and a result like this means expectation, but we will keep our feet on the ground. Our next league game is Burry Port and that will be very tough. It’s the oldest saying in the book but we’ll take it one game at a time.”

Haverfordwest County: Steve Hall, Matthew Broome, Sean Pemberton (capt), Tim Hicks, Alaric Jones, Ricky Watts, Dan Williams, Elliot Scotcher, Elliot Thomas (Tom Dyson 73), Ben Fawcett (Jack Wilson 62), Lee Trundle (Ashley Bevan 79). Subs not used: Nick Jones, Leon Luby.

Pontypridd Town: David Burnett, Zac Iheanacho (Vaughan Fowler half time), Gavin Meacham, Liam Shaw (Tom Rutherford 63), Scott Hillman (capt), Lee Hartshorn, Adam Johns, Danny Hooper, Aiden Lewis, Matthew Hibbs (Rhys McCarthy 63), Gavin Beddard. Subs not used: Nyran Bird, Rhys McCarthy, Tom Rutherford, Gareth Hole.

Referee: B Williams.

Assistants: M Oliver and L Brown.