On the microphone: John Hughes.

Call in to the Bridge Meadow for a Welsh Premier football match with Haverfordwest County and it is a fair bet that the first voice you will hear is that of John Hughes - not because he is noisy or anything like that but simply because he has been announcer for the Bluebirds for a long time.

He has been involved as a committeeman and staunch supporter for most of the time since the 1950s and has given almost a half century of loyal service in a variety of ways, not least now as a sprightly 75-year-old because he doubles up as programme organiser for match days and can justifiably be proud of the high quality finish which regularly draws favourable comments from envious visiting fans from all over Wales.

He collates the programme with help from Bernie Steer, Roy Morris, a great football historian, Barry Vaughan, Ron Beynon, Barry Webb and, more recently Kevin Bryce. Spider White was also a help in the past with the folding and stapling but all that is done now by the printer so John can spend more time on the quality content which makes it such a good read.

Football has been his first love from his time at Haverfordwest Grammar School, where rugby had just been imposed on pupils and the school had a fine team that included Glyndwr Lewis, the Llangwm stalwart. Even before that, in 1948/9, he had visited the Bridge Meadow from his home in Hayscastle as part of big crowds for local derbies and watched the likes of Dobbs Roberts score goals.

When he undertook his national service with the RAF at St Athan he watched Cardiff City for three years where Alf Sherwood, Ron Stitfall, Ken Chisholm and Trevor Ford were joined by Pembrokeshire's George Edwards.

He has always been a boxing fan because his dad William had been a boxer and John watched the great Tommy Farr beat American Al Husmann in his comeback fight at the Maindee Stadium in Cardiff.

John played for his RAF section side and for Hayscastle against Haverfordwest County in the Pembrokeshire League against the mercurial Kenny Roberts and Jasper Slater in goal.

He watched the Bluebirds again from 1954 on and joined the committee around 1960, voted on at the old Market Hall where a big crowd always attended. They played in the Welsh League and local derbies with Pembroke Borough and Milford United brought out the fierce rivalry, both on and off the pitch.

Ask John about fine players and he is quick to choose his favourites.

"I thought Ray Davies was a wonderful player and an even better manager who could bring the best out of those around him. Ioan Rees and Mike Lewis, both from Ammanford, were also cracking players and of course Cliff Pawlett and Mackie Bowen were great locals, the former forging a realpartnership with the legendary Ivor Allchurch. Ivor Rowlands was also a top chairman as well as being a very good player/manager.

"Jimmy Evans was another gentleman and Winston Griffiths a great servant at the Bridge Meadow, both as player and worker. Of the current crop of players, I think Neil Thomas does a great job in midfield alongside Tom Ramuset, and I am very hopeful that youngsters like Nicky Woodrow and Jack Christopher will stay with us for many years to come."

John is equally certain about highlights on the pitch.

"There is no doubt that beating Barry Town in the final of the Brains Cup was brilliant, not least because the experts said we had no chance. The match was played at Cwmbran and we won 3-0 as Paul Burrows scored a cracking goal. More recently, we had to beat Bangor City at Farrow Road to stay in the Welsh Premier and send Porthmadog down. We won 2-1 in front of a big crowd boosted by half of Porthmadog, with Burrows netting twice and the home goal scored by Ken McKenna, now manager of New Saints.

"The lowest point came when we lost our top status when the New Bridge Meadow was being built and we weren't allowed to play games on the rugby pitch at Haverfordwest and so had to drop down into the Welsh League. Luckily we soon fought our way back and we've been in the top echelon ever since."

John still attends almost every County away match as a member of a staunch band who journey to North Wales, Mid Wales and across as far as Gwent. He never misses a home match and after years of being huddled near the shop which he helped set up because the microphone lead would go no further, he now has a posh radio mike so he can watch the game in comfort as well as keep supporters updated with events on the pitch.

In the past he enjoyed working with characters like Cliff Saies and is delighted that Des Shanklin is now president at a club well-run by Rob Summons and David Hughes. He would say that without them there might not be football at the Bridge Meadow but typically forgets to mention his very large contribution to the cause over so many years where the name of John Hughes has become synonymous with that of Haverfordwest County AFC.

12:42pm Tuesday 5th February 2008

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