Haverfordwest County Development Team 2-3 FK Budućnost Podgorica Youth
UEFA Youth League 2025/26 - Domestic Champions Path First Round
Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium, Haverfordwest
Attendance: 671

Haverfordwest County's young Bluebirds can hold their heads high after a spirited performance against seasoned European opposition, falling just short in a thrilling encounter.

The visitors arrived with a formidable reputation for developing talent that commands millions from Serie A and Bundesliga clubs - including Vasilije Adžić who scored Juventus' winning goal against rivals Inter Milan last weekend - and their physical superiority was immediately apparent.

It took just three minutes for Budućnost to make their mark, with their towering number 9 rising highest to nod home from a whipped corner after goalkeeper Corey Mathias had done well to punch away several early efforts.

With pre-match talk focusing on the visitors' pedigree, an early goal threatened to make for a long evening. However, Haverfordwest refused to buckle and gradually grew into the contest. The turning point came on 25 minutes when Harri Thomas produced some delightful footwork down the left before finding Ashley Watkins in the middle. The captain made no mistake, rifling a superb left-footed strike into the top corner to level proceedings.

The equaliser transformed the atmosphere, and six minutes later the Welsh side completed a remarkable turnaround. William Hughes did brilliantly to control a pass down the right before cutting back and laying the ball off to Osian James, who unleashed a fantastic right-footed effort into the top left corner that had the home crowd on their feet.

At the break, Haverfordwest had not only weathered the early storm but had taken control of proceedings, playing some excellent football and more than matching their illustrious opponents.

The second half continued in the same vein, with both sides committed to playing attractive football. Hughes was proving a constant threat down the right flank, whilst Lukas Davis-O'Brien was producing some crucial defensive interventions to keep the visitors at bay.

However, the tide turned on 62 minutes when Mathias, rushing from his line to deal with a through ball, was just beaten to the ball by the pace of the onrushing forward. The referee pointed to the spot, and Budućnost's penalty taker made no mistake, driving his effort low past the diving keeper to restore parity.

Despite the introduction of fresh legs in Rhys Lewis and Sam Vaughan-Harries, the visitors began to assert their authority, pinning Haverfordwest back. On the counter attack, Hughes continued to cause problems when he could break forward, but the referee's decision to let several robust challenges go unpunished frustrated the home side.

The decisive moment arrived four minutes from time when a long ball over the top caught the Haverfordwest defence square. The Budućnost forward kept his composure to fire past Mathias with his left foot and secure what could prove to be a crucial goal advantage.

After conceding so early to opponents of such calibre, few would have predicted Haverfordwest would travel to Montenegro with genuine hope of progression. Credit must go to Ceri Phillips' young stars, who responded to adversity with character and quality, producing two stunning goals and a performance they can be genuinely proud of.

Connect: Pembrokeshire MOTM:

William Hughes

Photos from Ethan Ellis (EE Films)

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