Haverfordwest County have finished ninth in Phase 1 of the JD Cymru Premier following a disappointing 2-3 defeat to Briton Ferry Llansawel, with a poor first-half performance leaving them with too much to do despite a spirited second-half fightback.
On an icy cold night at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium, the warning signs were there early as the visitors flashed a low driven cross across the face of goal, narrowly missing the far post within minutes of kick-off.
The Bluebirds fashioned an early chance of their own when the industrious Greg Walters burst into the penalty area before laying the ball off to Owain Jones. It was a pass that demanded a first-time strike, but Jones let it run across his body and was dispossessed by a covering defender.
Fifteen minutes in and it was the visitors who made the breakthrough, capitalising on a poor clearance from Haverfordwest. Luis Bates won possession on the edge of the box, and Ollie Anderson finished acrobatically from the resulting cross.
Shortly after, Jones was presented with another half-chance following dazzling footwork from Rhys Abbruzzese on the left. A raking cross-field ball found him on the edge of the area, and after a good first touch he attempted to flick past his marker before going down, but his penalty appeal was waved away by the well-positioned officials.
Just minutes later Briton Ferry punished the Bluebirds' wastefulness, doubling their lead through Thomas Walters. Afforded too much time on the ball, he took a touch to set himself onto his left foot before curling a fantastic effort towards the corner. Luc Rees got his fingertips to it, but could only tip the ball onto the bar before it bounced down and into the net.
The Bluebirds' misery was compounded in the 32nd minute when a corner into the six-yard box wasn't dealt with by goalkeeper or defenders, allowing captain Alex Gammond to head home for 3-0.
With the visitors firmly in control and fully deserving of their lead against a lacklustre Haverfordwest side, the remainder of the half fizzled out. The 516 spectators might have been wishing they were at home in the warm, though the vocal away support were understandably delighted with what they were witnessing.
Half-time saw a double substitution for the hosts, with Alaric Jones and Panashe Makwiramiti making way for Ricky Watts and Will Hughes - both replaced players having struggled to impose themselves on proceedings, the Bluebirds missing the dynamism of midfield fulcrum Corey Shephard.
Watts slotted in at right centre-back and immediately began dictating play, spreading the ball well from deep and raising the tempo. Hughes, meanwhile, was lively on the right as a wing-back, with his teammates urging him to stay high and press the opposition in their own half.
The Bluebirds played with far more urgency after the break but couldn't carve out a clear opening until the 58th minute, when Abbruzzese's inswinging free-kick from the right was headed narrowly wide by a Briton Ferry defender.
A couple of minutes later, Hughes delivered an excellent cross after a superb pass from deep by Watts, only for the Briton Ferry goalkeeper to produce a fine save from Ben Ahmun's volley.
As Haverfordwest increased the pressure, their opponents' keeper made several good stops from Ahmun and Jones - the latter curling an effort from the left that looked destined for the top corner.
In the 76th minute the Bluebirds finally pulled one back. Another excellent ball from deep by Watts found the onrushing Ahmun through the centre, and he guided a composed header past the advancing goalkeeper.
Minutes later Dan Hawkins was denied on the volley by yet another good save from the Briton Ferry keeper, and time was running out for a Haverfordwest comeback.
A minute into four minutes of added time, youngster Hughes showed his quality with superb footwork to break into the box, evading a flying challenge before pulling the ball back for fellow development player Hari Thomas to finish. It was a certainly a moment to enjoy, highlighting the promising work being done at youth level.
Back to 2-3, but it proved too late for Haverfordwest to find a third. They had ultimately given themselves too much to do with that dismal first-half display.
The league now splits into two groups of six. Haverfordwest sit in the middle of it on 24 points - three ahead of Flint Town (11th) in the second relegation spot, but four behind seventh-placed Cardiff Met.
In Phase 2 they'll also be joined by their opponents Briton Ferry (8th), Bala Town (10th), and Llanelli Town (12th) as they look to avoid being dragged back into a relegation fight and finish strongly aiming for the 7th place spot.
Match photos by Ethan Ellis
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