Haverfordwest County AFC continued their unbeaten start to the 2024-25 season with a goalless draw against Penybont at LHP Stadium on Friday evening.

Playing their first official home game at their temporary Carmarthen residence, the Bluebirds produced a workmanlike display against a Bont side who are also yet to taste defeat this term.

Clear-cut opportunities were few and far between for either side, with both defences well organised throughout the contest.

The result means the Town find themselves joint top of the JD Cymru Premier standings after three matches, with a trip to the capital to take on Cardiff Metropolitan next up on Bank Holiday Monday.

Team news

Manager Tony Pennock made one change to the side that defeated Caernarfon Town 2-1 at the Carling Oval last Saturday, with Ricky Watts coming into the midfield for his first league start of the season. Harri John took his place on the substitutes bench, where he was joined by striker Fletcher Picton, who was included in a matchday squad for the first time this season.

Haverfordwest County: Z. Jones, Humphreys, Jenkins, Tabone, McCarthy, J. Owen, Shephard (C), Walters, Watts, Fawcett (O. Jones 78′), Ahmun

Substitutes not used: Knott, A. Jones, Kenniford, H. John, D. John, Picton

First half

The opening exchanges were keenly contested as both teams looked to settle into their respective rhythms and get a feel for one another.

I took until the 25th minute for the first opportunity of note to arrive, as Ben Fawcett’s crossed into the area picked out Lee Jenkins, but there was enough pressure on the defender to result in his header going into the ground as goalkeeper Adam Przybek gathered.

Striker Ben Ahmun has made a very impressive start to life as a Bluebirds player since joining in the summer, and he had an opportunity to add to his goal tally eight minutes before the interval when Luke Tabone won the first contact from a throw into the area and the ball fell into his path, but his first-time glancing header was gathered at the near post by Przybek.

The visitors’ first and only attempt of the first half arrived in the final minute of normal time when Kane Owen’s free-kick into the area was headed goalwards by Chris Venables, but Zac Jones was on hand to collect and deny the JD Cymru Premier’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Second half

The second period began in very similar fashion to the first, with both teams matching each other up and not giving an inch as space to attack proved difficult to find.

It took until the hour mark for either side to craft out an opening, which arrived when Owen’s driven effort from distance was gathered low down by Jones.

Five minutes later, County appealed for a penalty when they claimed that the ball had struck a Penybont hand following a scramble inside the area, but referee Ben Williams waved play on.

Pennock turned to his bench with just over 10 minutes remaining when Owain Jones – who had scored the winning goal away at Caernarfon Town a week prior – was introduced in place of Ben Fawcett, who had put in another tireless shift at the top of the pitch for the Town.

Just five minutes after entering the fray, Jones had probably the best opportunity of the second period when his snapshot from just outside the area was denied by a diving save from Przybek, who got across to prevent the ball finding the bottom right-hand corner of the net.

This proved to be the final notable opportunity for either side on an evening when the defences were very much on top at LHP Stadium. For the Bluebirds, a second clean sheet in three league games was a positive to take out of the game as we now look ahead to Monday’s visit to Cyncoed Campus to take on an Archers side who defeated newly-promoted Briton Ferry Llansawel 5-1 at Old Road on Friday evening.

Attendance: 427

Highlights

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