By James Dow

Haverfordwest County recorded back-to-back home wins for the first time this season after a 2-0 victory over Bala Town on Friday evening.

Second-half goals from Greg Walters and Ben Ahmun secured victory for the Bluebirds, capping off the week with two wins from three and a trio of strong performances.

Tony Pennock’s side controlled possession throughout, but were far more ruthless in the final third after the break, scoring twice in 15 minutes to see off the challenge of the Lakesiders.

The Bluebirds looked the brighter side in the early stages, though they failed to create any clear-cut chances in the opening 25 minutes. Their best opportunity fell to Corey Shephard, whose curling effort from 25 yards flew just over the crossbar.

A golden opportunity fell to the visitors just after the half hour mark when a defensive error allowed Lassana Mendes to win the ball high up the pitch and play in Hussein Mehasseb. The striker turned and shot, but Luc Rees got down well to make an excellent save.

At the other end, the Bluebirds nearly took the lead as Rhys Abbruzzese broke down the left flank and delivered an excellent, inviting cross into the area which was met by Dan Hawkins, whose header flashed just over the bar.

The Bluebirds continued to look the more dangerous side, creating two chances in quick succession. A swift counter-attack saw Ahmun’s effort deflect off a Bala defender and fall to Iori Humphreys, whose strike was blocked for a corner. From the resulting set-piece, the Lakesiders initially cleared their lines, but the ball fell to Shephard on the edge of the area and his first-time volley drifted well wide of the post.

Abbruzzese continued to cause problems down the left, delivering a superb ball across the six-yard box that only needed a touch to be turned in, but no Bluebirds player was able to get on the end of it.

County started the second half brightly, creating a chance within the opening five minutes. Defender Alaric Jones won the ball deep in his own half before driving through midfield and finding Ahmun, whose curling effort from the edge of the area lifted just over the bar.

The best chance of the match up to this point fell to Ahmun in the 51st minute following a slick team move that saw Hawkins play him through on goal. The forward took a good first touch to set himself but fired wide of the left post from 12 yards.

Just minutes later, the Bluebirds took a well-deserved lead when a superb delivery into the area from Shephard was controlled by Walters, who took a touch before calmly slotting underneath Torrance to break the deadlock.

Walters had a chance to double his tally shortly after, latching onto a loose ball on the edge of the area following a Bala clearance, but this time the midfielder dragged his effort wide of the post.

The Bluebirds were well on top after taking the lead and looked the only side likely to score again. They nearly added a second when a long ball found Shephard, who advanced into the area but fired wide.

The Blues continued to push for a second goal to make things more comfortable, and with just over 20 minutes remaining they found it as another dangerous delivery from Abbruzzese – who had been a threat all evening – was met by Ahmun, who powered a close-range header past Torrance to double the lead.

Luc Rees was called into action in the latter stages as Bala pushed to get back into the game just minutes after the Bluebirds’ second goal. Mehasseb broke into the area and fired a powerful strike on goal, but the goalkeeper reacted well to push it away from danger.

The Bluebirds saw out the final minutes confidently, with Rees producing a late save to deny substitute Jacob Tarasenko and ensure not only all three points but also a well-earned clean sheet.

Haverfordwest County: L. Rees, Humphreys (Shepherd 85′), D. Rees (C), Scotcher, A. Jones, Abbruzzese, Watts (Makwiramiti 69′), Shephard, Walters, Hawkins, Ahmun (O. Jones 79′)

Substitutes not used: Millichip, Owen, Watkins, Hughes

Bala Town: Torrance, Hall, Bell, Mendes (Billington 63′), Burke (C), Owen, Higgins (Lumeka 76′), Ibrahim (Tarasenko 63′), White, Dean, Mehasseb (Smith 88′)

Substitutes not used: Digbeu, Smith

Highlights

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