Welsh Youth Cup First Round:
Haverfordwest County Youth 4 - Afan Lido Youth 1
Venue: Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium
Referee: Ian Vaughan (Llanelli)
Assistants: Tom Bevan & Gareth Elliott
A superb hat-trick by talented young striker Liam Davies helped Haverfordwest County Youth move smoothly into the second round of the Welsh Youth with a deserved win over their counterparts from Afan Lido.
Davies struck early on in the game to give the young Bluebirds a vital boost, added a second just before the interval and then grabbed the only goal of the second period to quell any possibility of a fight back from opponents whose senior side play in the Welsh Premier and had some classy players of their own.
Great all-round display
But manager Steve Batty will be pleased that this was anything but a one-man show by his protégées because Dan Evans made a couple of good saves and Brad Cristofaro, Dan Jenkins and especially Owen Coombs looked strong at the back, whilst Laurie Haworth caught the eye with his tackling, non-stop running and good distribution alongside Glen Fiteni, Martin Carroll, Joe Brill and Jack Britton.
The midfielders also pushed forward in support of front men Davies and Liam Fawcett so that the Bluebirds looked solid all around and played a good passing game that kept Afan Lido quiet for long periods.
Bluebirds ahead at half time
Davies opened the scoring with a seventh minute shot that gave Sion Morgan no chance in the Lido goal and there were half chances to Fawcett and Carroll before the home defence went asleep for a second in the 24th minute and allowed Lido skipper Ben Thomas to move out of defence and enjoy a free header past the helpless Dan Evans.
This set-back stung the young Bluebirds into raising the tempo and they were good value for a 3-1 interval lead as Britton fired a stunning free kick into the top corner and Davies added his second in clinical fashion.
Tight second half before goal of the game from Davies
The second half saw both teams enjoy chances and the visitors looked capable of clawing their way back in after Davies had put a clever header just the wrong side of the woodwork and both Fawcett and Britton had shots cleared off the line.
It was Davies who claimed a deserved hat-trick with the goal of the match when Coombs secured possession near half way and linked well with Brill and Fawcett, who set Davies off on a run where he outpaced the cover, forced Morgan to make his move and clinically slid the ball home at the far post.
Home tie as reward
It was a quality finish to end a quality game and the young Bluebirds have another home tie as their reward for winning here – and if they can maintain this sort of form could enjoy a good run in the competition.
Haverfordwest County Youth: Dan Evans: Brad Cristofaro, Dan Jenkins; Owen Coombs: Martyn Carroll; Jack Britton; Glen Fiteni; Joe Brill; Laurie Haworth: Liam Fawcett; Liam Davies. Subs: Marcus Blair; Dan Harding; Gwion Howell; Joseph Williams; Jams Trueman.
Afan Lido Youth: Sion Morgan: Jordan Evans; Luke Keogh; Sam Glover; Adam Griffiths; Ben Thomas; Callum Margetson; Jordan Hale; Jack Lewis; Chris Rees; Jordan Doyle. Subs: Jake Howe; Casey Jones; Jordan Lloyd.