It all ends 0-0 at the Ogi Bridge Meadow as Aberystwyth hold Haverfordwest County to a goalless draw – seeing a dominant performance from the Bluebirds, a penalty miss and a brilliant defensive effort from Aber.
LINEUPS:
Haverfordwest County: IDZI (GK), WILSON, REES (C), PATTEN, SCOTCHER, GEORGE, LEWIS, SHEPHARD, WILLIAMS, FAWCETT, DAVIES
Aberystwyth: PENNOCK (GK), RIMMER, DAVIES, BRADFORD, JENKINS, THORN (C), JONES, VEALE, OWEN, FRANKLINE, PHILLIPS
LEAGUE AND FORM:
Haverfordwest County AFC – 11th – LDDLD / Aberystwyth Town FC – 9th – WWLDL
FIRST HALF
From the first whistle, 3 points were evidently in the minds of the County players as they pressed high and enjoyed possession in the Seasiders’ half.
Much like the previous fixture between the two sides, Haverfordwest enjoyed the majority of the ball as Aberystwyth soaked up pressure and looked to break on the counter when possible.
Haverfordwest’s Jack Wilson consistently lead the attack down the left hand side of the first half, finding shots and crosses from pockets of space, but couldn’t find the net in the first 45 thanks to a well grounded Aberystwyth back line.
Few Aber attacks in the first half saw any real chances directly on goal, as times of pressure down the right hand side looked to exploit Haverfordwest.
The Bluebirds saw a collection of half volleys and strikes from outside the box, but all were marginally wide as they scraped the posts and crossbar – not troubling Aber’s No.13 in goal.
Jack Rimmer and Harry Franklin for Aberystwyth picked up yellow cards in the 42nd minute, just before half time.
SECOND HALF
The second half saw a surge of tempo and action as both Aber and the Bluebirds began enjoying more and more promising attacks with real chances on goal.
Within the first 10 minutes of the second half, Haverfordwest’s previous pressure was back and a strike from outside the box smashed the woodwork.
After a flurry of short attacks, the 60th minute marked a swift succession of yellow cards as Haverfordwest’s Dylan Rees, Kieran Lewis and Corey Shephard all found themselves in the book.
Both teams turned to the bench eventually, as the Seasiders took off Sam Phillips for Ben Wynne and Haverfordwest replaced Ben Fawcett with Touray Sisay.
It was Sisay who had an immediate impact as well, as the striker won a penalty for the Bluebirds in the 73rd minute. However, Danny Williams’ low driven penalty was saved by Alex Pennock in goal. Still 0-0.
Haverfordwest continued to control the tempo of the game over the remaining 10 minutes, but couldn’t find the net. After 4 minutes of additional time, the referee blew the full time whistle.
FIXTURES:
Haverfordwest County’s next game is away to Cefn Druids on Saturday, 26th February.
Druids are bottom of the league having not won a single game this season, so the Bluebirds should be confident after a strong performance against the Seasiders last night.
With just 4 wins this season, it is a chance for Haverfordwest to get a final 3 points on the board before the 2nd phase of the season.
Aberystwyth face Bala Town in the quarter-final of the Welsh Cup on Saturday, 19th February.
Bala Town are the team that knocked out Haverfordwest in the fourth round, where Aber defeated Saltney Town on penalties 0-0 (5-4).
The Seasiders face Bala Town in the Cymru Premier a week later, for their last game of the season before the division splits.
