Haverfordwest County win FAW Youth Cup

Haverfordwest County won the FAW Youth Cup for the first time in their history following a 2-1 win over Caernarfon Town at Park Avenue.

All three goals came in an entertaining first half in Aberystwyth, with both sides backed by impressive contingents of support from opposite ends of the country.

Haverfordwest had the better of the early exchanges and took the lead in the 14th minute when Ashley Watkins’ free-kick from the right was headed home by Dylan Maguire – the 17-year-old picking the perfect time to score his first Bluebirds goal.

However, Caernarfon were level just four minutes later when the ball found captain Osian Evans on the right of the box and he produced a superb half volley past Haverfordwest goalkeeper Corey Mathias at the near post.

The Bluebirds restored the lead with the final kick of the first half in stoppage time from Sammie Vaughan-Harries, who had proved lively for Ceri Phillips’ side throughout the half.

That would prove to be the winner as Haverfordwest held firm in the face of a resilient Caernarfon attack after the break and even came close to extending their lead as Cameron Cridland and Dan John both fired efforts over the bar.

Bluebirds coach Ceri Phillips said: “I’m delighted. We rode our luck a little bit at times but I think sometimes you need that in big games. Credit to Caernarfon, they caused us a lot of problems, but the boys fronted up and I’m really proud of what they achieved.

“This is a great experience for the boys to be exposed to, it’s great for their development and it will make them better footballers.”

“We trained really hard in the week and Caernarfon are no pushovers, so to beat them, outwork them and soak up all the pressure they put on us in the second half was huge,” captain Dan John added. “Everyone is shattered, everyone gave 100% and that’s all we asked for. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone.

“When you play with people who you’re willing to sacrifice for and suffer with, it makes it so much more important. Everyone was willing to fight for each other today and that was the main message at the start.”