Welsh League, Division One

AFC Porth 2

Haverfordwest County 5

JORDAN Follows bagged his third hat-trick of the season and added a fourth goal for luck as the Bluebirds pulled off a decisive win which looked at one stage as if it might have been even bigger, writes Robert Nisbet.

The visitors started brightly and were two up within 12 minutes, with the two strikers doing the damage once again. In the 10th minute a cross came in from the right and bobbled in the box before Follows reached it to nod home. Within two minutes another cross in from the same quarter reached Luke Borelli who hammered in a volley.

The Blues were able to sustain this pressure, even though Follows was unable to convert two chances when one-on-one with the keeper. He did strike again in the 25th minute when Nicky Palmer let fly a shot from the edge of the box and it took a big deflection off Jordan’s heel. His hat-trick goal, in the 44th minute, was a fine piece of individual skill.

In many ways the Bluebirds were just as dominant in the second half but tended sometimes to be over-elaborate on a rather difficult surface. Porth did pull a goal back in the 68th minute but this was rapidly cancelled out by Follows’ fourth (and his 23rd of the season).

As the game went into the substitution stage and after the departure of Borelli in the 60th minute, Steffan Davies, who was a striker with Bow Street, had two very good chances but headed and shot wide when the goal was yawning.

With the home side pulling another goal back in the closing stages the game ended, from a Bluebirds point of view, on a note of slight anti-climax, but the important thing is that this was a third win on the bounce and puts them right back in very serious contention near the top of table.

Next Saturday, the Bluebirds are at home to Goytre, kick-off 2.30pm.

Haverfordwest County: Craig Morris, Ricky Watts, Antonio Facciuto, Sam Rodon, Dale Griffiths, Steffan Davies, Kieran Howard (Chris O’Sullivan, 75), Nicky Palmer (Declan Carroll, 75), Luke Borelli (Greg Walters, 60), Jordan Follows, Owen Thomas.

Sub not used: Dan Evans (g/k).