Player boss Griffiths' second half double sinks poor Bluebirds
JD Cymru Premier
Haverfordwest County 0 - Penybont 4
It was a case of back down to earth for Haverfordwest County at The Meadow tonight as they were well beaten by Penybont.
Wayne Jones’ side had enjoyed the elation of their first win back in the Premier at Bala Town on Saturday, but endured a sobering evening as the visitors ran out 4-0 winners.
It was no less than the Bont deserved after controlling much of the first 45 minutes to lead 2-0 through goals from Daniel Jefferies and Oliver Dalton – and then player manager Rhys Griffiths grabbed two more late on to seal a third straight win for the Bridgend side.
The Bluebirds were playing their fifth game since the season started on September 12th, and Penybont their sixth, which perhaps explained a scrappy opening.
The visitors threatened first as a Mael Davies corner found its way though to Jefferies, but home keeper Hall was sharply off his line to block his angled effort.
Haverfordwest’s best moment of the first half came from the same combination that yielded their equaliser in Bala on Saturday, as Dan Summerfield’s cross-field ball found Danny Williams, but this time the striker miscued his shot wide.
Ben Fawcett was also doing his best to get involved, but triggered a flashpoint between both sets of players when he was booked for sliding in late on Jeffereries.
As the half wore on though, the visitors gradually turned the screw and after 26 minutes, a series of corners resulted in the opening goal.
Another Davies delivery deflected to Jeffereries at the back post, and the defender’s sliding effort deflected in off Ricky Watts.
The Bluebirds tried to respond as Williams was hacked down by Davies, who was booked for his troubles, but from the free kick that followed it was The Bont who broke upfield and striker Samuel Snaith was only denied a clean run on goal by the recovering Watts.
The latter, who started at centre back, was then moved up into midfield by Jones to try and stem the flow of the visitors, but four minutes before the break they doubled the lead in sublime style.
Davies sent Nathan Wood free down the left, and his cross was met by Dalton’s bicycle kick 12 yards out – and his effort duly flew past Hall and in off the bar.
One mitigating factor from the first 45 minutes was that the Bluebirds played into strong wind and rain, and they kicked off the second with greater purpose.
A Jack Wilson corner appeared to hit the hand of Jefferies but no penalty was given, and in the scramble that followed Williams was crowded out in the six yard box.
Moments later Wilson again looked to create as he whipped a pass to Keetch in the area, but the left back lost control at the vital moment.
But Penybont soon reasserted some authority and the hosts had Hall to thank for staying in the contest.
Wood picked up a stray pass from Watts but fired too close to the keeper, who then blocked a close range effort from the sliding Davies.
But better was to come as Wood skipped past Sean Pemberton and squared a pass for sub Kostya Georgievsky, only for Hall to do brilliantly to keep out his shot from point blank range.
At the other end Marcus Griffiths, on for Fawcett, forced Ashley Morris into a save but with eight minutes left, it was the Penybont player manager who sealed the win.
Griffiths, a legendary goal scorer at Welsh League level, swept a left foot shot home from the edge of the box after Wood’s shot had deflected into his path.
The veteran then nearly returned the favour by teeing up Wood himself, but he fired wastefully wide – and the two combined again in the dying seconds with Griffiths heading in his 271st league goal to round off a comprehensive win.
Haverfordwest County: Steve Hall, Ricky Watts, Cameron Keetch, Sean Pemberton (capt), Scott Tancock, Dan Summerfield, Cory Shephard (Nicky Palmer HT), Kurtis Rees (Jack Britton HT), Jack Wilson, Ben Fawcett (Marcus Griffiths 70), Danny Williams. Subs not used: Alaric Jones, Josh LeGrice.
Penybont: Ashley Morris, Billy Borge (Ioan Emanuel 85), Ismail Yakubu, Dan Jefferies, Mael Davies, Lewis Harling, Connor Davies, Ben Ahmun (Kostya Georgievsky 55), Sam Snaith (Rhys Griffiths 70), Nathan Wood, Oli Dalton. Subs not used: Lewis Clutton, Sam Goodwin.
Referee: Ryan Kenny.
Assistants: Harry Hendricks and Bryn Jones.
Action pictures supplied by Matthew Kelly of Rawphotography