Haverfordwest County AFC kept their 15th clean sheet of the 2024-25 JD Cymru Premier season and added another point to their tally following a goalless draw with Bala Town at Maes Tegid on Saturday.
In a game that lacked real quality inside the final third, both teams battled hard to try and gain superiority, with the respective defences holding sway for much of the contest.
There were some bright moments for either side on a dry but crisp Gwynedd afternoon, but with goalkeepers very much on their game a goal always seemed unlikely. This latest clean sheet means Bluebirds keeper Zac Jones cannot be overtaken in the race for the Golden Glove, as he leads nearest rival Adam Przybek by four clean sheets.
The result sees the Town remain third in the standings, six points behind second place Penybont and seven points clear of Cardiff Metropolitan in fourth with four games remaining in Phase Two.
County are back in action on Friday 21 March when we take on Penybont at the Ogi Bridge Meadow in front of the live Sgorio cameras (19:45).
Team news
Manager Tony Pennock made two changes to the side that lost to The New Saints a week prior, with Jacob Owen and Greg Walters coming into the starting XI in place of Iori Humphreys and Ricky Watts. On the bench, there was a place for Academy product and brother of Jacob, Luc.
Haverfordwest County AFC: Z. Jones, J. Owen (Humphreys 83′), Jenkins, Tabone, McCarthy, Abbruzzese, Rees (C, Kenniford 76′), Shephard, Walters (Watts 83′), O. Jones (D. John 71′), Ahmun
Substitutes not used: Knott, H. John, L. Owen
First half
The first effort on goal fell the way of the Bluebirds as Rhys Abbruzzese’s free-kick into the area was nodded into the path of Ben Ahmun by Luke Tabone, and the striker’s glancing header was gathered by Joel Torrance.
Some good vision by captain Dylan Rees saw him chip a ball over the top and into the area which just evaded fellow midfielder Corey Shephard, allowing Torrance to gather possession.
The hosts crafted their first shot on target with the half hour mark approaching when Callum Edwards hooked a loose ball on target from inside the area, but Zac Jones was in the right place to make the save.
Just a minute later, Ahmun tried his luck from a very tight angle and was able to direct his effort from near to the byline on target, however Torrance stuck his right hand out to make an instinctive save.
The final opportunity of the first half saw Joe Malkin try his luck with a low effort from the edge of the area which Zac Jones was equal to.
Second half
Two minutes after the restart, Owain Jones saw his left-footed curling effort from 25 yards go over the crossbar as the Bluebirds looked for a fast start to the second half.
Four minutes later, Lee Jenkins sent an inviting cross into the area from the right which was met by the head of Ahmun, who saw his effort go just over the bar.
With 20 minutes remaining, an precise pass from Ahmun saw the striker slip Walters in and with space to shoot on goal from the left side of the area, however the midfielder’s near-post effort was thwarted by Torrance.
Pennock turned to his bench for the first time immediately after this chance as he introduced Dan John in place of Owain Jones, with Kyle Kenniford replacing Rees six minutes later for County.
There could have been a dangerous situation for the Bluebirds with 10 minutes left on the clock as substitute Liam Higgins threatened to get a shot away from close range, but defender Kyle McCarthy reacted well to get his foot to the ball before the Everton loanee.
There were two more changes for the Town inside the final 10 minutes, as Iori Humphreys and Ricky Watts came on for Jacob Owen and Walters.
The game always appeared to be meandering towards a stalemate with neither side looking too threatening, and that’s exactly how the game concluded with the teams having to settle for a share of the spoils.
