Haverfordwest County 6-0 Brecon Corries: Bluebirds comfortably beat Corries
Haverfordwest County progressed to the third round of the Welsh Cup after a convincing 6-0 victory over Brecon Corries at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium.
Striker Ben Fawcett scored twice for the second game this week to ensure his side were in the hat for the third-round draw on Monday.
Early pressure as expected came from the home side, Scotcher bringing a fingertip save from visiting custodian Gaydon, skipper Dale Evans a recipient of an early yellow card from referee Kim Fisher after he fouled the quick Mason Jones-Thomas.
Fawcett was a fulcrum for the home side, confident after his midweek brace at Barry Town, demanding the ball and prepared to run at and beyond the visiting defenders, manager Jones emphatic in his attacking notion as wide men Jack Wilson and Jones-Thomas received a lot of ball.
It was Wilson who opened the scoring midway through the first half, Jones-Thomas switching play for the winger to glide effortlessly into the penalty area and finish with aplomb.
For all their first-half possession clear cut opportunities were few and far between, Sisay making the wrong option to play Fawcett in, the diminutive striker then doing everything but score when he made space in the penalty area from a Wilson pass, drew Gaydon but he slipped his final delivery agonisingly wide.
Testament to the Mid Wales side who battled hard and closed down space but had little to offer offensively, James Jeffreys an outlet with his height but to no avail and the Evans brothers not given any time or space to show their sharpshooting abilities.
Sisay was upended with eight minutes of the half to play, referee Fisher deeming it accidental, the visiting skipper Evans a tad lucky that Fisher took that view, after Fawcett played him clear.
Two goals in three minutes was a just reward for the Bluebirds first-half dominance, the inform Fawcett smartly turning to create space and fire home from six yards after Wilson headed it back across the goal, Jones -Thomas then firing into an open goal after a mix up between Gaydon and Alpin completed the scoring with two minutes of the first half to play.
It was a controlled second half from the home side, Fawcett and Wilson getting beyond the last man but it didn’t reap further rewards, Danny Williams replacing Corey Shephard on 55 minutes and two minutes later Sisay, struggling with his hamstring was replaced by Kieran Lewis.
Veteran Gavin Perry gave way on the hour for Joe Cooper, the veteran running hard all day in the engine room for the Chisels, Wilson replaced by Henry Jones for the Bluebirds on 65 minutes their final change, the tempo and fluency disrupted for a time from the Cymru Premier side, who continued to press for more goals.
Williams marked his return to the Bridge Meadow with a header to make it 4-0 on 68 minutes, Jones-Thomas the architect as sixteen year olds Luis Price and Tristan Dillon replaced James Jeffreys and Gareth Alpin, for the Corries.
Fawcett hit the post with fifteen minutes remaining, Gaydon finger tipping the strikers effort on the rebound away from his goal, Williams silky in his footwork and combining sublimely with Henry Jones, which allowed Kieran Lewis to make it 5-0 on 78 minutes with a fifteen yard drive.
A consummate defensive display from the home side was epitomised by Ricky Watts, the holding midfielder not wasting a pass as he was forever in the right place at the right time, the clean sheet for Haverfordwest important as they look to take their positive display forward, skipper Rees, Alaric Jones, Scotcher and Jazz Richards compact and assured in everything they did in front of Wojiech Gadja, making his first appearance of the season in goal.
Man of the match Fawcett was on the end of some great work from substitute Lewis, driving in a right-foot shot from ten yards with eight minutes left to make it 6-0, the final minutes played out with possession by the home side, Lewis unlucky not to score in a crowded box after excellent creative work from Williams, with Henry Jones and Jones-Thomas also showing telepathic understanding in the final third.
Haverfordwest County: Wojciech Gajda, Jazz Richards, Elliot Scotcher, Ricky Watts, Corey Shephard (Danny Williams), Ben Fawcett, Alhagi Sisay (Kieran Lewis), Jack Wilson (Henry Jones), Alaric Jones, Mason Jones-Thomas, Dylan Rees (c).
Substitutes not used:
Josh Le- Grice, Daniel James.
Brecon Corinthians:
Declan Gaydon (GK), Matty Roderick, Corey Evans, Jordan Baker, Dale Evans (c), Adam Tebbitt, Gareth Alpin (Tristan Dillon), Gavin Perry (Joe Cooper), Joel Evans, Craig Evans, James Jeffreys (Luis Price).
Substitutes not used:
Dan Philpott, Austin Mellor.
Referee: Kim Fisher
Assistant Referees: Ian Bird & Josh Jones
