Kenny keeps going strong as Bluebirds supporter

Kenny Roberts first watched a game of football at the old Bridge Meadow when he was a nipper in the 1947/8 season and now, over 60 years later, he is just as avid a Haverfordwest County supporter as he was then.

Kenny was taken there by his father Walter, a member of the management committee, and he followed dad onto the committee in 1963, where he stayed until recent years when the club switched to being governed by directors and he decided it was time to step down a little. But he is still a regular visitor to the new Bridge Meadow Stadium, calling in some week days and taking some cakes with him, which makes him very popular with the likes of Rob Summons, Eddie Bunston, Richard Friday and Barry Webb, the regular workers there.

He attends every home match where he meets up with old chums like Winston Griffiths to cheer the Bluebirds on, and he rarely misses an away match either as he travels on the mini-bus which takes steadfast supporters Eddie Bunston, Kevin Bryce, John Hughes and others to venues as far afield as Llanelli, Port Talbot, Caersws, Welshpool, Porthmadoc, Caernarfon and Rhyl – plus near Chester where TNS play.

During his time Kenny was also a selector and can recall long evenings with ‘Lofty’ Williams, a local teacher, and Tom Thomas, where the meetings could finish as late as 10.30pm as they discussed at length who was in and out of the team. He is now a firm believer, however, that in the modern day that onerous task should fall on the manager, and told current boss Derek Brazil exactly that when he was in discussion with the ‘Gaffer’ before the home match against TNS.
“No-one knows the players better,” said Kenny, “so it is vital that the manager isn’t hampered by well-meaning amateurs since he knows exactly what formation he needs so he should be allowed to get on with it.”
This is the kind of straight talking which has always been a feature of Kenny’s way of doing things and Winston Griffiths said of his old mate.
“When I was playing centre half he would always be the first to say ‘well done’ if I had played well but soon let me know if I had a ‘stinker’ – and that is what we all like about Kenny Roberts!”

Kenny vividly recalls the early days when local derby matches against the likes of Pembroke Borough and especially Milford United drew huge crowds that stood two or three deep right around the perimeter of the pitch - and there was great banter between the rival supporters in the build-up to the games. We had great players like Harry Hansford and Harold Risdale whilst Milford had Johnny King, ‘Bull’ Best, George Baker and Hughie Kerr in their line-up – there were some wonderful games in the old Welsh League which had teams like Ton Pentre, Tonyrefail and Lovells Athletic.

“There were times when money was hard to raise and so I used to get Eddie Bunston, who was a youngster then, to help me on a ten-ton lorry where would drive around and collect all the cardboard boxes to sell for the club. I probably used more in petrol than we got for the boxes but it was my little gesture to help out at the Bridge Meadow.
“We also had the problems of flooding at the old ground and sometimes we would spend hours brushing the water off the pitch. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t but we enjoyed being involved. What an improvement there is now because Rob Summons does a great job of looking after it, as he does in running the club with David Hughes. All I would like to see now is a lot more local football lovers giving the club the sort of support it deserves in the Welsh Premier League.”

Kenny played at right half for Haverfordwest County in the Pembrokeshire League (that’s the right side of midfield to any youngsters reading!) but he can say that he played in the Welsh League when he was over 40 because he went with the team, then managed by Mike Johnson, to Ebbw Vale. When they found themselves without a substitute Mike told Kenny that he would have to put ‘K. Rogers’ on the team sheet, just in case. Kenny reluctantly agreed and borrowed kit – which he needed because in the last ten minutes player/manager Johnson limped off – and to this day Kenny still isn’t sure if Mike had been injured or not!

Sadly, work commitments meant that Kenny couldn’t play as long as he would have liked but he can recall all the stars that turned out in the County’s blue strip:
“Arthur Willis was a top manager who used the experience he had gained as a Spurs’ player at the top level whilst Ray Davies was great as a player and manager who served our club so well for many years. Derek Brazil is doing really well and other former top players were Ivor Allchurch, a real gentleman, Len Allchurch, plus their brothers Sid and Arthur, and Ivor’s son John. Then there was Mel Charles, a great character who once phoned me late in the evening to say he had a puncture and couldn’t change the wheel. So I went out in the dark, gave him my spare so he could get home – and had the wheel ready for him when he next turned up at the club!”
Kenny was also pleased to meet up with six of the 1961 team who returned to the club recently to celebrate winning the Welsh Cup and nominated Cecil Williams as one of the best local players, along with Cliff Pawlett, Hughie and Lou James, whilst he is delighted by the efforts of current players Gareth Elliott, Jack Christopher and Nicky Woodrow.

It all adds up to someone who is steeped in the club’s history and Kenny is a popular figure with other supporters, management and players alike.
“I’ll be involved for as long as I feel up to it because I really enjoy myself there.” It is easy to see that Kenny Roberts still does just that!