PHOTOS:
Ben Fawcett
Ben with another two trophies

 
There is absolutely no doubt that one of the most promising young goal-scorers to emerge in Pembrokeshire Football over recent years is Ben Fawcett, who starts the new campaign with Hakin Juniors in the knowledge that he scored a massive tally of 78 goals in the previous campaign!
 
Ben is already training hard for the star of the new season and his eager to continue his goal-grabbing feats with the Young Vikings and also with the county team, both of which are managed by Daisy Picton and Ben’s dad, Colin Fawcett.
 

County success on two levels

 
There have been as many as eight or nine Hakin players in the county side and when they were coached by Angie Nicholls for the Tom Yeoman Shield they reached the final against their counterparts from Flintshire.
 
It was played in Cardiff and after a titanic struggle Ben and Co were still level at the end and sportingly agreed to share the trophy since neither team deserved to lose it.
 
At under 12 level, whilst playing for the Pembrokeshire Academy, Ben again played well against the other counties/regions to make it to the final at Newton and on this occasion the opposition were a very useful team centred on Connah’s Quay.
 
But there was an even better outcome for the Pembrokeshire youngsters as Ben opened the scoring in the first half and Jack Wilson added a second after half time to give them a 2-0 success and become winners of the prestigious competition.
 

Young Vikings get a kick up the backside before superb league form

 
Then it was on to last campaign where the Young Vikings hoped to maintain their proud unbeaten record and completion of the league and cup double which they had achieved the previous season – but they slipped up early on as a very late goal gave Pennar Robins a 1-0 victory in the cup.
 
But it proved the metaphorical kick up the back side Ben and his team mates needed because they didn’t lose another match and still achieved a terrific double of league and West Wales Cup!
 
In the league they had only lost once in five years, at Hundleton, and the last campaign saw them win all 22 matches, including revenge victories over Pennar Robins as they scored a massive 287 goals and conceded just 11.
 
They so dominated the competition that their biggest margin of victory was 23-0 and a double over one unfortunate team where they scored 32 goals and didn’t concede a single goal!
 

West Wales Cup wonders

 
Then it was on to the West Wales Cup and even more success as Ben and Co played all their matches away but just kept on winning, starting with a 7-0 verdict over previously unbeaten Dafen.
They followed this resounding success with wins over Hendy (3-0), Saron, near Ammanford (5-0) and then Bishopston in a 4-0 victory at Pwll, Ben scoring goals aplenty and helping to set up a final against Pontardawe.
 
It was always going to be a tough tussle and although they conceded their first goal of the competition early on they were level at half time, should have won it in extra time but showed real composure in the penalty shoot out.
Ben volunteered to take the first spot-kick and buried his shot into the bottom corner with some style before Camron Thomas, Jack Wilson and Alexander Morris also found the target.
Keeper Jack Ackerman played his part with two penalty saves for Hakin and they were worthy winners of the West Wales Cup!
 

Family matters . . .

 
That Ben should be such an accomplished player at such an early age should come as no surprise because he hails from the Fawcett family which has served Pembrokeshire Football so long.
He started out kicking a ball in the back garden with dad Colin, who played Welsh League for Milford United and Pembroke Borough, as well as winning trophies galore as a player and manager at Hakin United.
 
Colin also joined Steve Batty in coaching the Haverfordwest County youth team in the McWhirter League which included Ben’s older brother Liam, another hugely talented young footballer currently playing for Haverfordwest County in the Welsh League.
 
And finally there’s mum Karen, the ‘best chauffeur in the world’ who loves watching her boys play after first meeting their father at a football match.
 

Other sports

 
Outside of his football, Ben is also a useful player of other sports, none more so than in golf, where he has dropped his handicap to 23 in two years, with five shots taken off him this year after winning a few junior competitions.
 
He also caught the tennis but whilst watching Wimbledon and has since been playing regularly against football pal Jack Ackerman at the Meads Leisure Centre.
 
Ben recently represented Milford School at the County Sports and came first in the high jump, and second in the long jump before going on to the Dyfed Sports in Carmarthen – where he came third in the long jump and fourth in the high jump.
 

Early start and hard work at academies
 

But football remains his first sporting love after setting out with Daisy Picton’s boys at under eight level and soon showed his nose for goals – and has been playing up front ever since.
 
Ben was selected for the South Wales Regional Football Squad in 2013 and attended five two- day training sessions at FAW Headquarters in Newport throughout but was sadly released in January 2014.
 
He started training with Cardiff Advanced Development soon after and was selected for trials with Cardiff Excellence, starting in July 2014 but unfortunately, due to the long distance and parent’s work commitments was unable to progress with this.
 
“We don’t want to push him too fast,” Colin told us, “and there will be plenty of chance for him to develop physically because he was one of the youngest, and smallest, players in the group.”
 

And finally . . .

 
So the good news for Hakin United Juniors and the County Academy squad is that Ben Fawcett is available to play for them again this season.
 
And we are prepared to bet that Ben Fawcett will again be scoring goals aplenty and making upward progress into being the third very good footballer to emerge from the Fawcett family!