Haverfordwest County v Penybont talking points: Marinho Manga and Owen Pritchard stand out in win
Ryan Hill was influential to Penybont's victory. (Pic by Sam Eaden/FAW)
Penybont continued their unbeaten start to the season with a convincing 3-0 victory over Haverfordwest County at the Bridge Meadow Stadium in the Cymru Premier on Friday night.
Rhys Griffiths’ side produced a dominant display to remain unbeaten after three matches, collecting seven points in the process, while Haverfordwest remain pointless after three consecutive defeats.
Max Melbourne opened the scoring with a header before Nathan Wood doubled Penybont’s advantage on the stroke of half-time, reacting quickest after Ifan Knott was unable to keep a shot out of danger. Noah Daley then completed the scoring with a clinical finish, racing through on goal before lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.
Manga and Pritchard pull the strings in midfield
The pressure finally told after half an hour when Penybont captain Mael Davies delivered a pinpoint cross into the area.
Max Melbourne rose to head home from eight yards and give the visitors a deserved lead.
Penybont’s midfield combination of Marinho Manga and Owen Pritchard was central to their dominance. The pair repeatedly found space with composed touches and intelligent passing, allowing Hill, Wood and Eduino Vaz to attack the spaces around the home defence.
Tom Mehew also impressed in midfield, adding a physical edge with a series of strong challenges.
Haverfordwest struggled to create anything of note until the 40th minute when they finally fashioned an opening.
Jack Wilson raced clear after being released by Kyle Kenniford, but striker Ben Ahumn was unable to convert from inside six yards.
Penybont responded immediately. Davies was left unmarked but dragged his effort wide before finding Cann in space moments later.
The striker forced a save from Ifan Knott from 18 yards, but the goalkeeper could only parry the ball into the path of Wood, who made no mistake with the rebound to double the advantage just before half-time.
Widemen Hill and Wood cause problems
The visitors controlled the game from the outset, enjoying the majority of possession and moving the ball confidently from flank to flank.
Ryan Hill provided a consistent outlet on the left, while Nathan Wood was particularly influential on the opposite side as Haverfordwest were repeatedly forced back towards their own penalty area.
Both wide men had the pace to trouble the defenders, with their first touch allowing them to build momentum, draw defenders across and create space centrally for the midfield to exploit
Haverfordwest unable to find a way back
The 794-strong crowd were treated to some half-time entertainment when nine-year-old academy striker Theo struck the crossbar in an attempt to win £300.
The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, with Penybont looking the more composed and threatening side.
There was a brief flashpoint midway through the half when Haverfordwest’s Kyle McCarthy was shown a yellow card.
Referee Sion Davies was then called to the pitchside monitor following an alert over an incident in the build-up. After a brief review, the decision was overturned and play restarted with a Haverfordwest free-kick.
Tony Pennock attempted to change the course of the game with a series of substitutions, but his side were unable to build sustained pressure.
Former Penybont midfielder Greg Walters was arguably Haverfordwest’s brightest performer, but the home side lacked the presence and control needed in the middle of the pitch.
Penybont add gloss as Haverfordwest struggle to find a response
Penybont continued to threaten and eventually added a third late on through Noah Daley.
The substitute broke through the Haverfordwest defence before calmly rounding the advancing Knott and rolling the ball into the net, effectively putting the result beyond doubt with six minutes of added time still to play.
The result underlined the difference between the two sides.
Haverfordwest struggled to retain possession for long periods, with their key players unable to exert significant influence as Penybont maintained control of the game.
The absence of Greg Walters from midfield was also keenly felt, with the makeshift centre-half eventually withdrawn on 75 minutes.
For Penybont, it was another performance which suggested Griffiths’ pre-season preparations are already paying dividends.
The visitors looked physically prepared, tactically organised and comfortable both in and out of possession throughout the 90 minutes.
Manga, a close-season acquisition, was particularly impressive and was the pivotal figure in midfield, making a strong case for the man-of-the-match award.
Penybont now have seven points from their opening three matches and remain unbeaten, while Haverfordwest County must regroup quickly after a difficult start to the campaign.
Haverfordwest County
Ifan Knott; Rhys Abbruzzese, Kyle Kenniford, Corey Shepherd (c), Dan Hawkins, Ben Phillips (Will Hughes, 63); Kyle McCarthy (Panashe Makwiramiti, 90+1), Greg Walters (Jack Walker, 75), Jack Wilson; Ben Ahumn (Hari Thomas, 63), Clayton Green.
Substitutes: Luc Rees, Owain Jones, Cai Lewis.
Penybont
Daniel Higgs; Tom Mehew, Mael Davies, Nathan Wood (Noah Daley, 82), Owen Pritchard (Chris Venables, 70), Ethan Cann (Tyler Walker, 70), Eduino Vaz, Max Melbourne, Ryan Hill, Marinho Manga, Liam Shephard (Ethan Vaughan, 90+1).
Substitutes: Alex Pennock, Tom Price, Ioan Phillips.
