It was supposed to be a big day for Haverfordwest County as the club was relishing the prospect of taking on Cefn Druids on their  return to the JD Cymru Premier which was scheduled to be played behind closed doors at the Bridge Meadow Stadium today (Saturday, 12th September).

But the FAW took the late decision to postpone the game due to Cefn Druids who had breached the ‘Safer Return to Play Protocol’.

This morning the FA Wales tweeted: “The Football Association of Wales has taken the decision to postpone the JD Cymru Premier fixture between Haverfordwest County and Cefn Druids, following a breach of the ‘Safer Return to Play Protocol’ by Cefn Druids.”

The primary aim of the ‘Safer Return to Play Protocol’ guidelines is to protect the health and safety of all persons involved in Cymru Premier fixtures. 

They must be followed to ensure that matches can take place safely during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

In response to the disappointing opening day fixture back in the top echelon Haverfordwest County chairman Rob Edwards released a statement on the club’s website.

“The club are extremely disappointed to learn of the postponement of today’s match versus Cefn Druids (12th September). It has been a summer of change at the club and we were all looking forward to seeing our hard work played out on the pitch today. The ground staff, coaching team, and Club Secretary have worked tirelessly for the last few weeks, so I am bitterly disappointed for them, and cannot thank them enough for their effort and dedication.

“We would like to make it clear that our club has followed every single FAW regulation and protocol to the letter. Since the resumption of training, we ensured that all rules within the Return to Play guidelines were followed during their respective phases, all players and staff have completed Benchmark COVID-19 questionnaires, and we have spent the previous few weeks guaranteeing that The Bridge Meadow Stadium is a safe environment for football to resume, as per FAW guidelines.

“At all our pre-season games, we ensured that they were correctly sanctioned, and once again, all protocols were followed. We will continue our hard work to ensure that all rules are followed at our club and look forward to getting our campaign underway against Cardiff Met on Tuesday.

"We will not make any further public comment as a club and will be liaising directly with FAW on this matter.”

Haverfordwest County travel to Cardiff Met on Tuesday, 15th September and are back at the Bridge Meadow Stadium on Saturday, 19th September when they entertain Penybont.