PHOTO:
Referee B. Williams dishes out a yellow card in the clash between Haverfordwest County versus Afan Lido

 

Haverfordwest County 0 – Afan Lido 4

Haverfordwest County suffered a four goal crushing at the hands of Afan Lido on the Conygar Bridge Meadow on Friday evening.

The Bluebirds’ home form this season has been poor, and it continued with this terrible result against Lido that will have dented their confidence as they passed poorly and persisted with playing the ball down narrow channels, rather than use the wide-open spaces offered by the playing surface at the Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium.

Afan Lido’s Jordan Edwards scored two goals in the first half, and then after the interval Jamie Evans’ own goal gifted the visitors’ a third, and Kieran Cullen added a soft late fourth to secure three easy points.

Haverfordwest County started brightly and could have taken a two-goal lead, skipper Sean Pemberton struck a  volley over the crossbar after a goalmouth melee, and Rhys Dalling dragged a close range shot wide.

Early goal

Afan Lido opened the scoring in the 8^th minute, a swift counter attack that the Bluebirds defence failed to close down, led to Edwards burying a low shot past a stranded James Gwilt.

That early goal definitely was against the run of play, but the Bluebirds failed to pick themselves up as the visitors grew in confidence, with their well-organised back four marshalled by skipper Carl Evans and their midfield on top in terms of possession

They added a second goal in the 34^th minute as Edwards was totally unmarked at the far post, and the hometsers were punished fully when he struck for his second goal of the match.

Costly mistakes

After the break the visitors added a third goal in the 34^th minute when Bluebirds’ centre back Jamie Evans turned the ball into his own net as a low cross from the right by the skilful Carlos Indjaj had the defence in a tangle.

It was disappointing that the Bluebirds really failed to really test Afan Lido goalkeeper Chris Curtis often in the second period, and matters got worse right at the end, when a schoolboy howler by Gwilt let in Kieran Cullen for a simple tap-in for the visitors’ fourth goal that just about summed up the Bluebirds' performance on the night.

Haverfordwest County: James Gwilt; Spencer Williams; Antonio Facciuto; Sean Pemberton (Captain); Jamie Evans; Steffan Davies; Chris O’Sullivan; Steffan Williams; Ashley Bevan; Rhys Dalling; Nicky Palmer. Substitutes: Tomas Wellington; Nathan Banner; Lee Hudgell; Leon Luby.

Afan Lido: Chris Curtis; Josh Doyle; Shane Williams; Carl Evans (Captain); Craig Davies; Ben Thomas; Jordan Edwards; Elliot Thomas; Carlos Indjaj; Kieran Cullen; Sacha Walters. Substitutes: Cai Owens; Shaun Owen; Leigh De Vulgt; Liam McCreesh.

Referee: B. Williams.
Assistants: A. Jenkins & G. Elliott.