Nathaniel Cars League Cup Round 3: Haverfordwest County 3-1 Llantwit Major

Haverfordwest made it through in the League CUp on Saturday as they defied torrential rain to beat Llantwit Major for the second time this season.

In the end, 3-1 was a fair reflection of a game in which the Bluebirds dominated for long periods and kept playing their now traditional passing football, despite the really awful conditions, writes Robert Nisbet.

It rapidly became clear that Elliot Scotcher and Ricky Watts were dominating the middle of the park and, with Tom Dyson bustling forcefully across every swathe of the pitch.

Llantwit striker Josh Jones did in fact threaten on a few occasions, on one of them forcing a very good low save from Kyle Stuart.

But a Blues goal always seemed imminent and in the 24th minute it came, when Leon Luby played a fine ball in from the right, Lee Trundle flicked on neatly and Ben Fawcett cracked it into the top corner from 15 yards.

The second goal came in the 34th minute when Scotcher got to a poor goal kick and headed on and behind the defence to put Trundle through in the sort of one-on-one which is never as easy as it looks but which ‘Magic Daps’ managed to turn into a formality as he waltzed round the keeper.

The Bluebirds led 2-0 at half time, but they really should have scored a few more, such was their dominance.

In the 60th minute Sean Pemberton was harried into heading one ball against his own bar, and in the 64th the Major pulled one back when Kristian Smith exploited a momentary hesitation between Stuart and Tim Hicks to get in and score.

Even with the Major pushing for an equaliser, the Bluebirds had the better of the last half-hour and threatened several more times, with the pick of the attacks maybe being one fine exchange between Fawcett and Luby which nearly saw the full back go through on goal.

Just afterwards Danny Williams got into space and had clearly spotted that, with the keeper forward, a lob would do the trick, only for an awkward bobble to take the ball away from him at the last second.

But the Blues continued to have the run of the play and deserved the third goal in the 88th minute when Scotcher’s free kick ran loose in the box and Ashley Bevan was able to belt it in for the third.

Next Saturday the Blues entertain Swansea University in the second round of the JD Welsh Cup, kick-off 2.30pm.

Haverfordwest: Kyle Stuart; Leon Luby; Alaric Jones; Sean Pemberton (Jack Wilson, 65); Tim Hicks; Ricky Watts; Danny Williams; Elliot Scotcher; Ben Fawcett (Ashley Bevan, 78); Lee Trundle; Tom Dyson. Subs not used: Elliot Thomas, Steve Hall (g/k).