This week Bill Carne popped down to watch Haverfordwest County play and chat to their talented youth team player Alfie Stotter about his football – and about his successes in boxing as a surprise bonus...

WHEN the new season started at the Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium one of those most eager to do well was Alfie Stotter, the mercurial goal grabber who caught the eye for Haverfordwest County's youth team last season, despite being the youngest in the squad.

He joined the Young Bluebirds as soon as he was 16 years old in January and readily admits that it was a big step-up from junior football but enjoyed it from the start after being made very welcome by team manager Steve Batty and the rest of the players in training sessions.

"I was often called off the bench in the last quarter of games to try and run at the opposition and support our striker, usually Gwion Howell, as opposition defences tired."

But this campaign should see Alfie seeking a regular spot in the starting line-up, especially after one pre-season tussle against Herbrandston's senior side, where the Young Bluebirds trailed 3-0 early on and eventually lost 5-4 - but Alfie claimed his first hat-trick for the club.

The first goal was something of a screamer as Alfie picked up the ball outside the area, looked up and fired in a 25-yard drive which flew into the top corner of the Herbie net. The second was from far closer range and third a penalty where he sent the keeper the wrong way.

It brought back memories of yesteryear, when Alfie was much younger, and his goal scoring feats were amazing as he finished one season when he was playing for the Prendergast Villa side run by Michael 'Glenys' Davies and causing problems for opposing teams alongside fellow striker Jake Davies.

At under 14 level he could only play just half of the games but still managed 56 goals, including no fewer than 13 goals in an 18-1 win over a young and inexperienced Kilgetty side.

Alfie also scored 12 another season against Kilgetty but the local press credited him with only 11 and his granddad Dougal was quick to point out the error to the local paparazzi!

"My parents are brilliant," Alfie told us, "with my dad Aston trying to be at every training session and also at every match, home and away, whilst my mother Amanda is a great taxi driver who has taken me all over the place with my sport.

"But my granddad is my biggest fan and was recently in Withybush Hospital recovering but when he was discharged he wouldn't go straight home because he wanted to watch me play at the Bridge Meadow - and stayed for the whole game!"

Alfie started out with Camrose when he was about seven and played mini-football alongside Ben Aldred and Fraser Jones, chasing the ball everywhere like all the other players. Then he joined 'Glenys' Davies at Villa and began a hugely successful season where the team won Pembrokeshire League titles for their age group a number of times and also won their share of the silverware in the cup as they went three whole seasons without losing a single game in Pembrokeshire!

"We also reached the semi-finals of the West Wales Cup and were desperately unlucky to miss out on the final, but we loved going to the Ian Rush tournament in Aberystwyth and won it twice against teams from all over Wales and further afield.

"Our last success together came in the under 16 cup, which we won at Monkton Swifts, beating Tenby 4-0 in a side that included Charlie Hughes in goal and Travis O'Connor up front - and I managed to score two of the goals."

Outside of his football, Alfie was a more than useful boxer with Graham Brockway at Merlins Bridge ABC, winning the majority of his 12 bouts and making it to the final of the Welsh Schools ABA Finals before losing to Bridge stable mate Micky McDonagh.

Both went on to compete at the British Finals and Micky won silver, whilst Alfie won bronze with a convincing win over Patrick Docherty, from England.

"Alfie was smashing young boxer who set the example in training," Graham Brockway told us, "and showed real grit in bouts where he refused to give up, We were very sorry when He gave up to focus on football and if he ever wanted to start boxing again we would welcome him with open arms."

High praise indeed from the top man of local amateur boxing!

Going back to the round-ball game, Alfie's progress is all the more impressive because at 5' 3" he is one of the smaller players at the Conygar Bridge Meadow Stadium, yet plays with a controlled aggression that creates real problems for big, cumbersome defenders who find it hard going to turn as he runs straight at them and shows his excellent close control

Haverfordwest County youth team manager Steve Batty told us:

"Alfie settled in superbly last season and really impressed us after Micky Ellis had been involved with him at county level and recommended him as good enough to join our squad, despite being so young.

"We were impressed by his willingness to listen to good advice, to train as hard as anyone and to fit into the squad's needs,

"He has grown in maturity and we expect him to play a full part this season, playing just behind our main striker and looking to put in telling runs that draw defences out of position.

"Alfie sets a tone in training that we want others to follow!

Looking ahead, Alfie has just finished his GCSE exams at Tasker Milward School and is thinking of going to college so that he can gain more qualifications in sport, perhaps in terms of coaching.

He is a great Manchester United fan although he admits that his favourite player as Arsenal's highly-skilled Santi Cazorla, and if pushed would admit that he would love to play semi-pro football with Haverfordwest County and then perhaps at a higher level if things went his way.

At the moment it is the stuff that dreams are made of but who knows because others from our county have made the tremendous leap - and if high skill levels, commitment to training and match play, allied to a willingness to take on board some good advice are anything to go by then we could well hear a great deal about Alfie Stotter in the future!