Haverfordwest County make the journey to Aberystwyth tomorrow night in the first of two crucial back-to-back games against the Seasiders, as we approach the business end of Phase One in the JD Cymru Premier.

The Bluebirds head into the game at Park Avenue on the back of consecutive draws with Newtown and Pen-y-Bont, two clubs who are competing at the top end of the table.

Aber, who sit one place and two points above County in 10th, were victorious in their last outing against basement side Cefn Druids on Friday evening, defeating the Ancients 5-0 after Kieran Smith was sent off after 67 minutes for the visitors.

This will be the first time that the two sides have met in the league this season, with the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day fixtures postponed after the league paused over the festive period in response to the omicron variant of COVID-19.

The Bluebirds narrowly got the better of the head-to-head meetings between the team’s last season, winning twice, losing once and drawing the last of the encounters at Park Avenue in May 2021.

Both of County’s victories came at the Ogi Bridge Meadow, with Jack Wilson and Danny Williams giving us a 2-0 win in December 2020, before Ben Fawcett’s goal helped us to a 1-0 success in April.

The 2-1 defeat at Park Avenue in March saw former Wales international Jazz Richards make his debut for the club, as he came off the bench to replace Kurtis Rees.

With teams in the bottom half of the table continuing to swap positions, a win for the Bluebirds tomorrow night would see us leapfrog the Seasiders into 10th place, while a draw would mean that we remain in the bottom two for the time being.

It promises to be a special occasion at Park Avenue, with our hosts celebrating becoming the first team to reach 1000 matches in Wales’ top-flight league. Entry to the match is free for all spectators, with a sizeable crowd expected.

Key man: Sam Phillips – The winger is one of the Black and Greens’ in-form players at the moment, netting three goals in his last four outings for the club. He scored twice in the victory over Cefn Druids last Friday, and has been a regular fixture in the team, playing in all but one of their 19 matches in the Cymru Premier to date. His goal tally is enough to place him joint ninth on the list of top scorers, and is certainly someone the Bluebirds will need to keep tabs on throughout the game.

If you’re unable to make the journey to Aberystwyth tomorrow, you can tune in to Sgorio’s Facebook page or YouTube channel, where the game is being shown live.

Aberystwyth Town vs. Haverfordwest County – JD Cymru Premier MD18 (Kick-off: 20:00)