HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY 3 NEATH 2

A game which had seen the Bluebirds with their backs to the wall for much of the way was sealed very late when Paul Burrows came on as substitute in the 80th minute and poached the winner with his first touch in the 81st.

Neath had come to the Bridge Meadow with a poor record, having won only one of their Welsh League games this season, but they looked from the beginning as if they felt they had nothing to lose and had in mind the displays of their predecessors, B.P. Llandarcy, who had often given the Bluebirds Cup upsets in the past.

The Blues seemed a little uncertain in their build-up and, with Andy Hughes missing from the midfield, seemed to lack penetration going forward.

They did go ahead however in the 20th minute, when Rob King curled in the first of a series of nasty high inswinging corners from the left. Keeper Curtis, always uncertain against this particular ball, lost it in flight, and Chris Miller pounced to bury the chance.

Neath equalised within three minutes, when winger Richard Cleverly lived up to his name by waltzing around the left of the Blues defence and crossing for Carl Shaw to score from close range.

In the 32nd minute Dylan Blain crossed a deceptive ball from a position deep on the right and Carl Thomas was on hand to deflect home. And again the resilient Neath side pulled the goal back within three minutes.

A corner kick similar to Rob King's caught the home defence at sixes and sevens, and big centre back Liam Hancock was on hand to head home.

The second half saw the Bluebirds well and truly under the cosh.

Neath three times hit the woodwork and Ben Miles did spectacularly well to turn a pile-driver from Shaw on to the crossbar.

Too many of the Bluebirds at this time seemed to be in and out of the game. Mainwaring was industrious in the extreme, but did not always finish with the best ball.

Busby had a few dangerous bursts and Rob King looked again a quality player, but it was he who missed a golden opportunity in the 71st minute when through in a one-on-one with the Neath keeper.

Neither Dylan Blain nor Jerry Chandler looked as composed as they can be, although Dylan did make strenuous efforts to come forward in support of his attack in the closing half-hour.

The player who can take most credit from the afternoon is Gavin Rees, who looks a much stronger and assertive player since his return from Carmarthen. In the 75th minute, the Blues did come within a whisker of pinching a winner against the run of play, when Carl Thomas headed against the post from Mainwaring's cross.

Then in the 80th minute, Buzzer appeared and within a minute was in just the right position to finish off a well-worked move, getting on the end of another Mainwaring cross.

Perhaps it is supersub Burrows who will take most satisfaction from this performance. He now heads the Blues goal-scorers list with five (all of them in Cup competitions) and again the side have cause to thank his uncanny powers of poaching something from nothing.

For the rest, the Bluebirds can be glad that, when all is said and done, they are in the third round.

Next Saturday, they have a difficult League fixture when they entertain a Caernarfon Town team who are currently riding high in the league, without as yet having encountered any really stiff opposition.

Away from the hurly-burly of the Cup, we may then get a glimpse of how successful this Bluebirds squad might be.

Hwest County: Ben Miles; Dylan Blain, Jeremy Chandler, Dai Burrows, Gavin Rees, Rob King, Dean Busby, Carl Mainwaring, Chris Miller, Carl Thomas, Jamie Rickard. Subs: Paul Burrows (for Miller, 80), Mickey George (for Blain, 85), Simon Gilderdale.