Add Your Business
Add Your Business
Haverfordwest County Women were back on the road this week, making the journey up to Merthyr Tydfil to play Penydarren BGC Women, a team that played in the Welsh Cup last week, beating fellow Tier 3 side Caerau Ely Women FC 5-1.
Haverfordwest kicked off, but the home team were first to create a chance. In the 3rd minute, Penydarren's number 4 struck an excellent volley from outside the box, which hit the crossbar and rebounded into the hands of stand-in goalkeeper Bethan Chapman. It was not long after, in the 6th minute, that Penydarren BGC's number 19 took another long-range chance, but it went easily into Chapman's hands. A minute later, Penydarren's number 4 had a close-range shot, but the keeper's positioning allowed her to get a foot to it and deny the shot.
In the 9th minute, a free kick from distance by Penydarren's number 19 was blasted over. The 13th minute saw the Bluebirds' first major chance, with Haverfordwest County's number 7, Ffion Kirk, showing a great mixture of speed and strength to get into the box and get a shot off. The first goal of the game came in the 17th minute, when a corner was cleared by Haverfordwest but fell to Penydarren's number 10, who struck it into the top left corner from just inside the left-hand side of the box.
In the 23rd minute, Penydarren made it 2-0 with a lofted cross from their number 4, who put it into a very crowded six-yard box, where, after a scramble, number 9 tapped it in from within three yards. From this point onwards, the game settled down and Haverfordwest started to get back into it. However, in the 32nd minute, Penydarren's number 4 burst down the wing and played a cross along the ground to their open number 9, who shot from just outside the six-yard box but was denied by a strong foot from Haverfordwest County keeper Bethan Chapman.
In the 36th minute, Penydarren's goalkeeper cleared the ball after a promising Haverfordwest attack, but the clearance was met on the halfway line by Haverfordwest's Freya Marshall, who chested it down to Ffion Kirk. Kirk drove into the box from range and eventually rounded the goalkeeper, but could not keep the ball in play. Penydarren had another opportunity in the 38th minute when one of their players drove to the edge of the six-yard box. As she shot, Erin Frost flew in body first to block it, bringing the chance to an end.
In the 40th minute, after winning the ball back from a goal kick, Penydarren drove forward and their number 9 took a shot from the edge of the box, but it was pushed over the bar by Bethan Chapman. Penydarren had another chance on the edge of the six-yard box in the 42nd minute, but this time it was blocked by Haverfordwest's Lily Lawrence.
Going into half-time, it was 2-0 to Penydarren, who had put in a strong first-half performance, keeping the pressure on throughout the half, and were rewarded with two goals.
Penydarren kicked off the second half and continued their good spell of play from the first half. In the 47th minute, a cross was fired in to their number 9, who brought it down and beat the defender. Left one-on-one with the keeper, she slotted it into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.
It was end-to-end action until the 55th minute, when a brave 50/50 in the middle of the park from Ffion Kirk won the ball back for County. Lily Owen took it and played it down the right wing for Ella Pearce, who ran down the right a bit further before crossing to Kayla Jones. The ball bobbled to the right before her shot, sending it up and into the keeper's hands, but it was a series of great plays from the Bluebirds. In the 63rd minute, substitute Bethan Sutton pressed high from defence and won the ball back. She found Ella Pearce, who drove right before taking a long shot from the edge of the 18-yard box, but it was caught by the keeper.
In the 73rd minute, Penydarren built up play well, working it to the left wing, where they pulled it back to the outside of the 18-yard box for their number 7, who blasted it into the bottom corner with a well-placed shot to make it 4-0. In the following minutes, Haverfordwest took a quick throw high up the pitch, taken by Ella Mumford, who threw it down the left wing for Ffion Kirk. She forced the defender to try to clear it, but Lily Owen took it off her and dribbled to the top of the box. As she tried to pass it, the ball deflected further right to Laura Davies, who hit a powerful shot, but the keeper managed to catch it.
Soon after, in the 79th minute, Penydarren's number 9 found herself in behind again. As she drove into the box, she hit a low, driven shot, but Bethan Chapman pulled off another great save, getting a foot to it one-on-one. In the 81st minute, Penydarren made it 5-0 when a well-worked corner was met by their number 4, who headed it powerfully into the back of the net. The last major chance of the game came in the 83rd minute, when Penydarren got through one-on-one with Bethan Sutton as the last line of defence. Sutton used great strength to force a weak shot, which was deflected into the hands of Bethan Chapman.
Full time, and it ended 5-0 to a very good Penydarren side who fully deserved the win. That is not to discredit a young Haverfordwest County side, who showed serious glimpses of great football and had a few chances they were unlucky not to score from.
Photo Gallery (click to view in full)
