Milford Haven Sport
Hakin United 0-1 Pennar Robins
10:00am Thursday 2nd February 2012
Division one - RICHARD Hughes’ 80th minute winner has probably ended ten-man Hakin United’s dreams of retaining the title.
The Vikings are 13 points adrift of leaders Merlins Bridge, and Pennar inflicted a first league defeat of the season over the stunned champions, who have drawn two previous home games and lost this one at the Obs to drop vital points.
Hakin United boss Gary Dawes said: “There’s no chance we will win the league now. We’ve blown it – but this is a game I felt we really should have won.”
The Vikings manager was not happy with some important decisions made by referee Helmut Reinhardt that did not go Hakin’s way.
In Dawes’ opinion: “This is not sour grapes, but he has cost us today. Jonah was brought down in the box for a stonewall penalty that wasn’t given. Then he sent off H (goalkeeper Steven Hartley) for handling the ball outside the area. That was harsh. Then to add insult to injury they scored the winner from the resulting free kick.”
Matters were not helped when a bust-up in the Vikings’ changing room at half time led to Matthew Broome and Ashley Bevan both being substituted.
“Yes there were a few words exchanged,” admitted Dawes. “But things are okay now and I want the pair of them to play in this Saturday’s important West Intermediate Cup tie at Giants Grave. It was just heat of the moment stuff.”
Hakin United: Steve Hartley, Matthew Broome, Ewan Findlay, Kristan Bennett, Steve Allen, Andrew Kingston, Jonathan Bennett, James Stanmore, Justin Harding, Ashley Bevan, Paul Jones. Subs: Mike Cooper, Steve Mathias, Jamie Harding.
Pennar Robins: Stuart James, Dan Nicholas, Andrew Green, Richard Hughes, Darren Shaw, Craig George, Dai Patterson, Mikey Powell, Jonathan Hyde, Dean Driscoll, Sam Southcott. Subs: Craig Turner, Ben Nicholas, Jimmy Probert.
Referee: Helmut Reinhardt.