Everyone at the Conygar Bridge Meadow is understandably delighted at the fact that Haverfordwest County will be back in the Welsh Premier League and the Bluebirds have also had another team making a name for itself across South Wales for good football.
 
Steve Batty is the excellent manager of the club’s McWhirter Youth team and although they will finish the season in a very creditable third place in their league table it is fair to say that had they not had a crazy backlog of fixtures to contend with at the end of the season, they would have been champions.
 

Battled hard against fixture back-log

 
At one stage in early April they had played eleven games fewer than Cambrian & Clydach, who went on to win the title, partially because the club had so many Welsh internationals and also because other clubs had postponed games against them.
 
“But we have had a terrific season,” Steve Batty told us, “and during our campaign it has been great that goalkeeper Dan Evans, left back Spencer Williams, striker Gwion Howell, plus midfielders Joe Brill and Glen Fiteni are amongst those who featured in first team manager Wayne Jones’ plans.
 

International honours

 
Evans, Williams and Haworth represented the Welsh Colleges’ team and Evans also played for Wales at under 20 level, Lloyd Hughes played for the Welsh semi-pro side and also involved in the Welsh set-up at different levels were Howell, Fiteni, Brill and Mark Davies.
 
“I was delighted to have Brett Hawkridge’s help as my assistant and Joe Brill was excellent as captain – and we worked hard at building a team spirit where parents came along to watch and we tried to attend club functions en bloc.
 
“It was typified by Gwion Howell, an outstanding striker who scored two successive hat-tricks, then played in goal because Dan (Evans) was on international duty, and then partnered Owen Coombs as a central defender the week after!
 

High quality players

 
“Dan Evans has been a great club servant already since he travels as reserve keeper for all first team games and made one of the best saves seen at the Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium for a long time.
 
“Our defence comprises Dan Harding, Owen Coombs, Aidan Rainbow, Spencer Williams and promising new recruit Jordan Thomas, whilst Joe Brill, Mark Davies, Glen Fiteni, Lloyd Hughes and Laurie Haworth is a terrific unit in the midfield.
 
“Mohammad Romman has been a revelation up front alongside Howell whilst Alfie Stotter is still only 16 but has joined Sean O’Neill and others as ones to watch for the future.”
 

David is delighted

 
Club chairman David Hughes said,
“The play of our McWhirter League side has been the icing on the cake because Steve and Brett have encouraged them to play good football. They form the vital conveyor belt to our first team and if this current squad reaches its full potential our future goes a long way to being assured.”
 
The Young Bluebirds certainly finished their home season in style with an 8-1 win over Llwydcoed Welfare, where Laurie Haworth bagged eight goals in another performance to savour by Batty’s Boys!