Welsh League Cup, Quarter Final
Haverfordwest County 3 - Risca United 0

After a scrappy first half in difficult conditions, the Bluebirds came storming through with a second half attacking performance that could well have seen them score six.

The biting North-Westerly wind which blew across the ground in the first half made control difficult and more passes on both sides were going astray than to their man. There could have been a turning point in the16th minute when a heavy tackle by Matthew Broome saw referee Phillips award a penalty, but James Gwilt dived to his right to turn the spot kick away.

From that point on the Bluebirds got more into the game, and threatened several times in the later stages of the first half. A Broome free kick set up a a scramble in the Risca box, a Greg Walters shot went just wide and Rhys Dalling headed against the bar from a fine Ashley Bevan cross.

It was Bevan who was to prove influential in the second half. The whole side was now playing well, with Gwilt as cool as ever behind a strong back four which saw the newly-returned Ricky Watts solid beside the strong Sean Pemberton. Broome played well and Spencer Williams played with a composure which suggested he might never have been away.

Nicky Palmer and Walters covered swathes of the midfield as did the wily Lee Hudgell, whose grafting was a real threat. The front runners of Bevan, Dalling and Steffan Davies kept the pressure on the Risca defence, and the first goal came in the 49th minute, when the ball was only half-cleared after a Hudgell corner and Walters’ exquisite chip over the full back saw Bevan curl his header beautifully over the keeper.

Bevan became the provider for the second goal in the 63rd minute, when he made a powerful run down the left and squared a ball to Steffan Davies who hammered in. The last of three classy goals came in the 75th minute when Walters again played in Bevan for him to cap a fine display with a powerful finish.

The only two disappointments were the injury (fortunately not too serious) to Steffan Davies as he was scoring the second goal and the red card for Rhys Dalling after what really did appear to be two fairly innocuous challenges.

But the win was decisive and the Blues can look forward now to their first cup semi-final in many seasons.

Haverfordwest County: James Gwilt; Matthew Broome, Spencer Williams, Sean Pemberton, Ricky Watts, Nicky Palmer, Steffan Davies (Kristian Speake, 66), Greg Walters, Ashley Bevan, Rhys Dalling, Lee Hudgell (Tomas Wellington, 89).
Subs not used: Kieran O’Brien, Rhydian Davies.