Haverfordwest County’s conveyor belt of young talent shows no signs of relenting after giving out their latest debut to Fletcher Picton.
Fletcher is joined by Jacob Owen, Seth Woodhouse and Jey Uddin who have all been included in a matchday squad for the first time this season.
From playing in Pembrokeshire’s first division only last season, striker Picton became the latest player to make a league debut from Haverfordwest County’s Development team this season.
He made his league debut for Haverfordwest County at home to Aberystwyth Town in the JD Cymru Premier on March 15, adding to a list of academy players to make a league debut for the Bluebirds.
In what was a proud moment for himself, he opens up on the emotions he felt when manager Tony Pennock looked over to him and said that he was going on.
Fletcher entered the field as an 81st-minute substitute, replacing Martell Taylor-Crossdale. Although having limited time to make an impact, the forward still managed to produce a shot on target in his first game for the club.
Haverfordwest County debut
“It started with Waggy (Gary Richards – Haverfordwest Assistant Manager) getting me to warm up and I had a feeling I was going to go on,’ he said.
‘I spoke briefly to Tony (Pennock – Manager) and he just told me to go out and enjoy it really.
“When I came on it was really weird to hear the fans singing my name so that calmed my nerves a bit and allowed me to concentrate on my game.’
Fletcher plays regularly for the Haverfordwest County development side, they sit third in the Cymru Premier Development League South, whilst having two games in hand with Briton Ferry Llansawel who are six points ahead in the first place.
Quite an extraordinary return for Fletcher, which sees him tied with Goncalo Ferreira of Pontypridd United in the Golden Boot race.
‘For me, on a personal level it’s going well, I’ve played 18 games and scored 17 goals.
Fletcher heaped praise on young Haverfordwest Development coach Dan Evans, formerly of Cardiff Met. Dan is a regular feature in the dugout for Haverfordwest’s first team, providing a huge boost for the many County youngsters who have made the step up to the first team.
“His coaching has been ‘very beneficial. He’s been very understanding and tried different techniques with the team.
“Dan is ‘very determined to win the league, almost as much as us boys, so he’s pushing us to always be at our best.’
Fletcher, unlike his teammates, joined Haverfordwest after already playing men’s football in the Pembrokeshire first division.
‘I started at Neyland at under 6’s when Jonny (Sutton) was coaching me. I played there up until under 14’s.’
After several years playing for a few different clubs at the junior level, Fletcher reminisced about winning the West Wales Youth Cup with Merlins Bridge, whilst also playing rugby at the same time.
Fletcher was a star in this side, scoring 24 goals in 12 matches in the league and 11 goals in six games in the cup competitions which led to them beating Rhos FC in the final.
Fletcher went on to talk about his season in division one and how a call from Haverfordwest’s Head of Development persuaded him to join the Blues.
‘I played for Clarbeston Road and Neyland senior teams.
“I had a good number of goals and had a few different people asking me to join clubs.’ This is where he received a call from Steve Batty which ultimately decided his future.
‘Steve got in touch with me with his aspirations for this season which really made me want to give Haverfordwest a go.’
Fletcher had represented the club at various youth age levels previously. The young county forward had plenty of thanks for his family for helping him to get his breakthrough at Haverfordwest.
He added: “They always push me to do the best I can and they’re always there to support me at every game which helps me.’
After having a taste of first-team football, Fletcher is looking to continue to catch the eye of Tony Pennock in the hope of grasping more opportunities.
‘If chances come to me for first-team football, I just need to prove to Tony that I’m worthy enough to play in that environment.
In the meantime, he’s hoping to continue his fine scoring form that has Haverfordwest on the cusp of success at the Development level: ‘Most importantly, doing my job which is scoring goals in the development league.”
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