Nathaniel Car Sales League Cup, Round two LAST year’s champions just scraped the win in this League Cup match with a rather controversial penalty.

The Bluebirds had gone into the game with six players missing due to injury or work commitments, and this had led to a place on the bench for assistant manager Wayne Jones, just 16 years after he made his Welsh Premier debut with Carmarthen. ‘Wolvesey’ came on before half-time, and played extremely well, but the regrettable thing is that he had to replace the injured Lee Hudgell, who suffered a recurrence of his knee problem.

The Bluebirds had the better of the play in this game, but they were never really able to convert possession into decisive goal-scoring opportunities.

In the first half they came the nearer to scoring of the two sides. Jay Brockway got to Wayne Jones’ ball in from the left and flicked a header over the keeper, only for a defender to hoof it off the line.

Again the Blues had the best chance in the second half, when midfielder Owen Thomas, returning to the Blues from Newcastle Emlyn, had the ball in the net only for the officials to decide that the ball had earlier crossed the bye-line.

But then came the controversial penalty award when a cross from deep on the left was volleyed back into the box by a Bryntirion attacker and crashed into Wayne Jones’ hand. After consulting his assistant, the referee gave a penalty that maybe not all officials would have given, and Simon Prangley converted from the spot.

The Blues could get a quick revenge when Bryntirion visit the Conygar Bridge Meadow for a league game this Saturday, kick-off 2.30pm.

Meanwhile, the Blues, who have drawn Barry Town in the next round of the Welsh Cup, have signed the much-travelled striker Jonathan Kift, who was with Afan Lido last season and went to Ton Pentre this year. Haverfordwest County: Craig Morris; Dale Griffiths, Phil Cattlin, Lee Hudgell (Wayne Jones, 26), Anton Owens, Gary Taylor, Owen Thomas, Ricky Watts, Jay Brockway (Ross Jones, 75), Jamie Evans, Dave Evans.

Sub not used: Richard Lewis.