page revision date: 17th August 2008
Bluebirds fly under Rob and David
There is no doubt that Haverfordwest County are very much on the up and up and there is a feeling of optimism at the Bridge Meadow Stadium as Derek Brazil’s boys set out again in the Welsh Premier League.A major reason for such anticipation is the backroom planning which helped pull the Bluebirds back from the threshold of extinction around three years ago and, although they would be the first to stress that it is very much a team effort, the protagonists in that progress have been chairman Rob Summons and commercial director David Hughes.
Rob came to the Bridge Meadow at that time of crisis as chairman of Haverfordwest Cricket Club, ostensibly to give some tips on the pitch maintenance since he was also involved in that aspect up at The Racecourse. He attended a couple of meetings and found himself thrust into the hot seat – and one of his first decisive actions was to persuade David to return to the Bridge Meadow for a second stint since he had been involved a few years previously. The pair immediately formed an alliance and have very clear ideas about the way that they want the Bluebirds to go – upwards but based on very firm foundations.
Interestingly, their backgrounds are very different since Rob hails from the oval ball game, where he played as an uncompromising prop, whilst David’s background is in football, although he did play as a flanker with Bedford Athletic when he was a teacher at Bedford School and also coached them for a season when he retired.
Watching first game
David first watched Haverfordwest County in 1954 with his dad and can vividly recall a Welsh Cup match four seasons later where the Bluebirds drew 3-3 with a full strength Cardiff City side captained by Danny Malloy – and can also recall the scoreline in the heavy defeat when they lost at Ninian Park in the replay!
He was right half (that’s right midfielder to you youngsters!) in the first Merlins Bridge team to play in the Pembrokeshire League, having previously been involved in a Wiltshire Cup Final.
Football first love
He admits that football has always been his first love and Rob now shares that feeling, doubling up as groundsman and tending to his beloved turf, which is widely regarded as one of the, if not THE best, in the Welsh Premier League. He would tell you that it is not simply a matter of cutting grass but having a planned programme of work throughout the year of weeding, feeding, spiking, seeding and the host of other jobs which ensure that the players have that beautifully striped surface to show off their skills.
David uses the business acumen, gained from recent years successfully developing his holiday cottage business, to ensure a firm financial foundation at the club, with the number of advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch as proof positive of his activities. He is also a keen fan of horse racing and is involved with smashing horses like Hills of Arran, Hold Em and Silver Blue at the Keith Goldworthy stables.
Willing helpers
The duo have a small but very willing band of helpers who doo all the jobs around the Bridge Meadow that keeps it looking sparkling, like paining, cleaning and generally playing their part in keeping the flag flying. Eddie Bunston, Kevin Bryce, Lenny Lewis and Stephen Pugh join Barry Vaughan, Richard Friday and local legend Ronnie Beynon as office workers, with Derek Roberts and Mickie Ellis as the local lads on the footballing side in cahoots with team manager Brazil and Mark Evans. Both Rob and David enjoy a good working relationship with the players and there is a buzz at the Bridge Meadow these days.
But neither is complacent and knows that there is still work to do. They are eager to see more people turning up to support the Bluebirds and although there has been wonderful support from a number of local businesses Dave would love to see national companies with outlets in the county get more involved.
“We are Haverfordwest County,” says David, “and we must encourage the Pembrokeshire sporting community to come along and we need to give them good value for money.”
It is refreshing to visit the Bridge Meadow Stadium these days, where a cup of tea is on hand and a warm welcome – and with Rob and Dave at the helm there are good days ahead for Haverfordwest County AFC!
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