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It’s another fascinating Senior Cup final by Fraser Watson  

Hakin have hit form at the right time and when at their best, are ruthless going forward. Nicky Woodrow is back fit and scoring alongside Justin Harding up front, Ben Fawcett continues to grow as a force in midfield, and the trickery of Adam John gives them an extra dimension in attack.   But I don’t see Clarbie as clear underdogs. They are organised, hard-working, and have more than enough quality themselves to trouble The Vikings.   Clarbie will look to absorb pressure
 
Tom Reubens has stood out for them this season, and the finishing prowess of Jason Griffiths needs no introduction.  Like when they played Bridge in the semi-final, I don’t expect Matthew Ellis’ side will come all guns blazing. They’ll keep their shape, be happy to be patient – and the chance arises to break, they will do with real threat.   Hakin play good football but they always give you a chance, and for that reason I suspect there will be goals at both ends.   My gut feeling is Hakin will edge it, but a Clarbie win would not surprise me.
 
Prediction: Clarbeston Road 2 Hakin United 3

 

Vikings’ firepower too much for Clarby by Gordon Thomas 

Clarbeston Road will be geared up for their second successive Senior Cup Final, while opponents Hakin United are gunning for their eleventh victory in the final.  The Vikings will be appearing in their 14th final, having only lost three times, and on the flipside of the coin, The Road will be determined to erase last year’s disappointing defeat against Merlins Bridge, and determined to go one better by beating Hakin United and claim their first ever win in Pembrokeshire’s top cup competition. 

Odds stacked towards Vikings but Clarby relish underdogs’ tag

The odds are really stacked heavily against Matthew Ellis’ Clarbeston Road outfit, but that’s the way Ellis likes it, he will relish his side being the underdogs, and deep down inside he knows that if his team play to their full capabilities then an upset could be on the cards.

However, Vikings boss Kristan Bennett will also be quietly confident, but with the recent backlog of league fixtures his side have played, they will need to feel fresh as the demands of playing three times a week could take its toll.

Goal grabbers on both sides

Hakin’s strength is they have goals from all corners of the pitch, quality strikers Justin Harding and Nicky Woodrow, have both grabbed hat-tricks in previous finals. Woodrow bagged a treble when his side beat Haverfordwest County 4-1 in 2011, the following year Harding scored a treble in his side’s impressive 5-0 victory against Monkton Swifts.

Clarby have prolific goal poacher Jason Griffiths up front and they also have the lively Tom Reubens; both are quick and extremely dangerous and Vikings’ centre backs Daniel Armstrong and Sion Price will need to keep a close eye on the pair.

Balanced at the back

Equally, Road central defenders Tom Glover and skipper Dan Rees will need to be at their best and keep the strong Vikings strike force quiet, and that won’t be an easy task.

Ellis and Mike Turpin will control The Road midfield, and the latter is a dead ball specialist, who will test Vikings defence and goalkeeper Adrian Devonald who will all need to concentrate.

Gordon’s going with a gut feeling

If The Vikings settle early then it could be a long painful afternoon for Clarby, but if The Road frustrate and get themselves comfortable the pressure will definitely be on The Vikings.

This clash is not easy to call but my gut feeling tells me The Vikings will have too much quality and firepower for The Road to cope with – but best of luck to both teams, and let’s hope it’s a cracker for the fans at the Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium.
 
Prediction: Clarbeston Road 1 Hakin United 3

It could be Clarbie as Vikings deserve to be hot favourites by Bill Carne

The 2018 Senior Cup Final at the Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium throws up an intriguing clash as a Hakin United team steeped in success in this competition takes on a Clarbeston Road side which is making its second appearance on the trot and eager to become the first in the club's 50+ years to take the coveted silverware home.

Most of the pundits go for The Vikings on the back of the fact that they are the more experienced outfit despite having so many young players involved but whilst that it is true it is worth remembering that Clarbie also have quality where it counts and their win over previous holders Merlins Bridge in the semi-final demonstrates their ability to beat anyone on their day.

Strong managerial set-ups

Look for similarities between the pair of them and they abound, starting in their managerial set-up where Kristan Bennett and Stu McDonald are in charge for Hakin whilst Matthew Ellis will play a key role on the field for Clarbie so Jason Wood and Matthew Fox run things from the line.

They are both knowledgeable about the game but for me Bennett and McDonald are as good as we've got in the county in a pairing where Bennett utilises his vast experience of winning silverware alongside McDonald's motivational skills, which are hugely respected by all the players. They brought in teenagers as the start of the season that have boosted the team's effectiveness and they now have a very strong squad.

Different tactics in defence and midfield

In defence Hakin have a strong back four in front of a good keeper in Adrian Devonald, with Jake Merry, Sion Price, Daniel Armstrong and Bradley Barrett not only strong in defence but able to push forward at set-pieces if the need demands.

Clarbie boss Ellis likes to play five at the back with Dan Rees and Tom Glover as the middle men alongside brothers Rheinallt and Llywellyn George outside them, plus Mike Turpin sitting in front of them looking to sweep up any scraps and looking to link well with a busy midfield of Matthew Ellis, Matthew Davies and Josh Woods.

In midfield there is a potent mix of several players, all looking for a spot alongside Jonathan Bennett, with 16 year old Jack Wilson and Ryan Wilson joining Craig Nicholson eager to feature and Adam John almost sure to play wide on the left with his rich bag of trickery that could have him as a very important cog in the Hakin wheel.

Goal-grabbers galore

And that brings us nicely to the front men and this is where the fate of the final could be sealed because both have players to seal the result with one flash of brilliance – starting with Clarbie as
they have the dynamic Tom Reubens playing alongside the captain and ace goal grabber Jason Griffiths, on whom I think their hopes rest.

Hakin have in skipper Nick Woodrow and Justin Hardin two players who know what it is like to score Senior Cup Final hat-tricks but there are so many others who can find the net, which is perhaps their greatest strength.

So overall The Vikings must start as firm favourites but on the run in to the cup final I have felt that Clarbie showed real resilience and if I had to bet my last £20 note on the game it would be on Hakin – but my heart says this could be Clarbeston Road’s first time to win the Blue Riband event, hopefully in a match to remember for all the right reasons!

Bill Carne’s prediction: Clarbeston Road 3 Hakin United 2 (Perhaps after extra time!)


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