Saints hit the Bluebirds for six
HAVERFORDWEST were the latest side to feel the force of The New Saints' superb home form as they crashed to a 6-1 defeat at Park Hall.
But there was little sign of the carnage to follow as the Bluebirds made a bright start with Mark Dodds, pressed into service as a striker, shooting straight at Paul Harrison in the first minute.
After a sloppy opening period the Saints started to find their feet and were only held at bay by County keeper Lee Idzi, who showed his class with some fine saves.
The pressure told after 35 minutes when Richie Partridge beat his marker and pulled the ball back from the byline for Matthew Berkeley to convert well from 12 yards out.
Partridge notched his sixth of the season with a well-taken after good work by the outstanding Craig Jones, but the visitors hit back just after the break when some poor defending allowed Jack Christopher to marginally beat the offside trap and score.
The two-goal cushion was restored on 54 minutes when referee Bryn Markham-Jones penalised Kyle Graves for a back pass and Partridge laid the ball back for Matty Williams to hammer through the defensive wall on the goal line.
Williams added another after Jones had skinned his marker down the right yet again before sub Chris Sharp celebrated his return from injury by crashing home a shot after Connell Rawlinson had miscued from a corner.
Chris Seargeant's 20-yarder on 78 minutes was the goal of the game and only a close range miss denied Williams a hat-trick before Idzi tipped Sharp's shot onto a post to prevent the Saints from adding a seventh goal. |