PHOTOS
County Under 10s in blue kit
Haverfordwest County Football Academy, flying the flag for academy football in Pembrokeshire, visited the West Bromwich Albion Development Centre at Clifton College Sports Centre in Bristol to take part in pre-season friendly matches.
The games were played on the modern 3G pitch in a 9 versus 9 format against local players who train with West Bromwich in preparation for selection for Academy training at the Hawthorns.
Interest high and great family support
Interest was high in Pembrokeshire with a number of parents travelling to watch the matches which were played by the Under 10s and Under 11s training squads.
Results were Under 10s won 1, drew 1, lost 2 in some close games where with a little more composure in front of goal the results would have been even closer. The home team attacked intensely and some brave defending and brilliant goalkeeping kept Haverfordwest in a position to attack quickly and score some good goals.
Learning curve for Tom Yeoman Shield squad
The under 11s drew 1 and lost 3 tight matches against top class local opposition being assessed for Academy training. There were many good performances within what will be the Pembrokeshire Schools under 11 squad for the Tom Yeoman Competition.
Joe Sharples, Manager of the WBA Centre commented that Haverfordwest had "a couple of tidy " players which means that the local coaching is effective in producing some players who could be considered for academy status anywhere in the UK, even in a game which had followed only a couple of training sessions.
West Bromwich Albion have been invited to Haverfordwest for a return fixture for the same age groups, which will test whether any improvement has been improved.
Great support from the parents and the excellent facilities at Clifton College gave the players a taste of high quality football with the structure of the Premiership and the opportunity to bond with each other on a length journey and pleasant day out.
