Haverfordwest County enjoyed a very special day when they beat Colwyn Bay 1-0 at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium because as well as that much-needed success in the Welsh Premier League they hosted a very successful Junior Fun Day and had pupils from Pendergast CP School taking over the running of their media platform under the careful eye of media officer Tom Pritchard, writes Bill Carne.
 
They also gave a warm welcome to a group of former players of yesteryear who saw many of the glory days when The Bluebirds were previously one of the top clubs in the old Welsh League Division One,
 
One of the criticisms aimed at these players, was perhaps the fact that they hailed from the Swansea area and the training sessions were held there but one of the attributes that all the players have in common is their loyalty to The Bluebirds over lengthy periods.
 

Hughie loved being a Bluebird . . .

 
I was lucky to chat to two of their former stars in Hughie Knight and Mark Hopkins, and the common denominator was their genuine feeling for the club.
 
Hughie told Pembrokeshire Sport:
“I was happy playing in Swansea when I had a phone call from Micky Lenehan, the manager at Haverfordwest. County, and his no-nonsense approach could not have been highlighted better when he told me who he was and said,
“I’d like you to play full back for us next season,” and when I said I was interested he said “It’s £18 a match - it’s the same for everyone so take it or leave it. If it doesn’t suit you tell me now so I can wish you all the best for then, wherever you play.
 
“He later told me that in a similar conversation another player asked him how much he would get straight away and Micky told him he’d changed his mind and wished him all the best!”
 
Hughie was a very talented footballer who was strong in defence but was also a very good distributor of the ball and pushed forward to join his attack when he judged it right to do so.
He also had a spell in management at the club and for a number of years was the auditor of the club’s accounts in his professional job - and said that his playing days he had at the club were the happiest he had - and he loved this special day and a real ‘walk down Memory Lane’!
 

. . . And so did ‘Hoppy’!

 
Mark Hopkins was known to all as ‘Hoppy’, a terrific central defender who was a master in the aerial duels but also strong on the ground and someone who posed a threat when he went up for corners. He was an excellent ball player and told us,
“It is a real treat to come down with the rest of the boys to a place I loved playing football. We all agree that the playing surface looks a picture and with the attacking footballers we had it would have been a pleasure to use it, apart from the pressure on knee joints!
 
“It’s been a great day out and we have been well looked after by the current management and administrators - and I look forward to another trip down soon!
 
He was also involved as manager for a short time and was a great favourite with local supporters.
 

Jason and ‘Speedy’ – more class acts

 
Jason Jones was another special favourite with the fans because they really appreciated his work rate and willingness to battle hard in the club’s fortunes - and at one time took on the role of player/manager.
 
He had bright ginger hair and one local supporter involved at the time said he was like a Duracell battery because he could run all day and was also a constant threat with his ability to score goals.
 
Nigel Stephenson arrived at the club after an already-stellar career at the heart of the Swansea City and Wales’ defence, where he won four full caps, having also played for Cardiff and Reading. He was a classy player who had all the attributes of a top centre half, who could also get forward for set pieces with his heading ability.
 
‘Speedy’ was extremely modest about his earlier successes and very popular with the supporters, with whom he always mixed well.
 

Micky ruled the midfield play, whilst Martin and Richard grabbed goals galore

 
Another class act over a long period was Micky George, whose silken skills were vital in midfield as his raking passes could quickly turn defence into attack. He was another player admired by hardy supporters because as well as his goal-scoring and general commitment on the field he was also a very loyal player over period of years who other clubs would have loved to sign.
 
Two front runners who enjoyed playing in tandem were Martyn James and Richard Gay, who our long-term supporter told us were the John Toshack and Kevin Keegan of Pembrokeshire because they fed off each other and in one amazing campaign shared over 70 goals.
“Martyn once grabbed five goals in a game and Richard was also a bit like Jimmy Greaves in the way he could sniff out goals by getting the vital touches in front of much bigger defenders.”
 

Ray still has a family connection after being a great goal-grabber

 
Another striker of the day still has a family connection at the Bridge Meadow because Ray Pennock is the older brother of current manager Tony and he was very much a larger-than life character who thrived on a physical approach but could also show neat touches and did a good job of laying the ball off for others.
 
Supporters loved the fact that he never gave up trying and as well as scoring with either foot he was strong in the air and opponents hated the way he put himself about at set-piece situations.
 

And finally . . .

 
Others who came to the reunion were Anthony James and Paul Stabler, who also served the club well – plus Ian Frazer and Dean Loye.
 
Sadly, one of the most engaging characters loved by the fans was goalkeeper Neil Frederickson, a real firebrand but also a fantastic custodian - but his hopes of attending came to a halt because of an unavoidable family commitment.
 
But also there from our county were Micky Ellis and Mark ‘Powie’ Powell, with Micky still heavily involved until a recent family illness and doing a great job with the first team as the person charged with smooth-running on match days, including pre-match testing the keeper with his inch—perfect crosses from wide out.
 
Micky was a gifted player in his own right and became a Grade A coach, who with Derek Roberts, Ronnie Beynon and Steve Batty took the now-redundant second team into the first division of local football and the formation of the McWhirter Youth team.
 
He played Welsh League Football at Pembroke Borough and Milford United and had a season as the only local player in the Bluebirds’ team. But on one weekend Micky scored scored a hat-trick on Saturday against Pontllanffraith and two more on Sunday in a West Wales Cup against Pontlottyn - and wasn’t picked the following week because the then-manager wanted to rotate the squad!
 
“Those were not the best days at the club,” admitted Micky, “but they are not like that now!”
 
And finally, another welcome visitor was Mr Powell, who played in midfield for Swansea City before other teams like Pembroke Borough and Milford United amongst others so knew a lot of the players - and was made very welcome by his old opponents.
 
Life is never dull with ‘Powie’  in attendance and he certainly helped to make it a great day to remember with his colourful reminiscences!