From Bluebirds to Bluebirds, Haverfordwest striker Danny Williams has joined Premier League side Cardiff City for an undisclosed fee.

The 19-year-old has been prolific this season, with 18 Welsh League and cup goals to his name, and his form inevitably attracted the attention of higher level clubs. In fact, earlier this season then strike partner Lee Trundle publicly expressed he thought Williams could ‘make it to the top’.

Sure enough, Cardiff made contact with the Pembrokeshire club in December and Williams duly impressed in trials behind closed doors – and a deal was put in place before the Bluebirds played Bala Town in the Welsh Cup last Saturday.

And Williams, who has represented Wales at Academy level and captained both the Under 18 and 19 Welsh Colleges side, completed a medical at the Cardiff City Stadium this week before signing on the dotted line.

Haverfordwest released a statement this afternoon confirming the news.

"Whilst we are extremely disappointed to lose a player of such quality, it was inevitable he would move on and the board of directors and management team have alwatys expressed that we would never stand in the way of any player pursuing a career at a higher level.

"We would like to thank Danny for his time here and wish him every success as a professional footballer with a Premier League club."

A major move:

The potential of Williams was evident when he arrived at the Bridge Meadow two seasons ago. In fact, as a youngster he spent much of his junior years at Swansea before being released and also came close to signing for Bristol City. But although the pedigree was already there, Haverfordwest have helped nurture a talent that has ultimately signed for a Premier League club and they can take pride in that.

And few will begrudge Williams the move. Along with his goal scoring record, his link up play, movement and pace has been top class throughout this season and opportunities like this don’t come around very often.

Furthermore the fee, which remains undisclosed, will still undoubtedly be a sizeable one for a Welsh League Division One side.

Promotion push dented?

Short term, there’s no point saying this isn’t a blow to the promotion hopes of the Bluebirds (the Pembrokeshire version). It is.

For all his quality, the loss of Trundle before Christmas was manageable given his availability had been limited anyway. But Williams was playing a pivotal role as the club bid for a return to the Welsh Premier League.

Of course, the form of Ben Fawcett has been another major plus and the latest development may benefit Jack Wilson, who was already staked claims for a regular starting place. Kaid Mohammed also came on board before Trundle departed and while he is mainly deployed at the back now, assistant coach Tim Hicks has scored goals aplenty in the Welsh Leagues as a striker. So the Bluebirds do now boast depth in that department.

But when you take a player of that quality out of any squad it is bound to have an effect. And Wayne Jones will know if his team are to overhaul leaders Penybont, they must adapt quickly to life without him.