Last-gasp Luby screamer sends Hakin back to the big stage
West Wales Intermediate Cup – Semi-Final: Hakin United 1–0
A THUNDEROUS strike deep into stoppage time from Leon Luby sent Hakin United back to the West Wales Cup final — and back to the Swansea.com Stadium — just two years after their last appearance.
The semi-final at Stebonheath Park had been a cagey, hard-fought affair, with both sides struggling to break the deadlock. But with the game heading for penalties, substitute Luby produced a moment of magic to settle it.
Collecting a pass from Liam Parks on the left flank, Luby beat his marker, cut inside and unleashed a curling right-footed effort that soared past Jack Williams and into the far corner. The goal sparked wild celebrations among the Hakin players and fans alike.
The dramatic win sets up an all-Pembrokeshire final — the first since 2019 — with Monkton Swifts or Tenby United waiting in the wings.
Cagey contest, flashes of brilliance
The match was high on tension but low on clear-cut chances, especially early on. Hakin, fresh from lifting the Senior Cup, nearly struck within 90 seconds as Parks capitalised on a defensive lapse, only to see his shot well saved by Williams.
St Joseph's danger man, Kyle Copp — who has racked up 40 league goals this season — almost broke the deadlock with a spectacular 30-yard lob that forced Gareth Fawcett to tip over. Copp then turned provider, threading a perfect ball through to Rikki Hayden, but again Fawcett was alert and made the block.
Ryan Wilson had two golden chances for Hakin, the best coming just before half-time, but Williams stood firm to deny him on both occasions.
Tactical tweaks, late drama
Copp continued to be a menace after the break, weaving past defenders and narrowly missing the target. But it was Hakin boss Scott Davies who changed the course of the game with a trio of substitutions. Camron Thomas, Ashley Bevan and, crucially, Luby added energy and purpose to the Vikings' attack.
Bevan thought he'd given Hakin the lead with a header from Thomas' pinpoint delivery — only for the linesman's flag to deny him. Parks then saw another effort spectacularly saved by Williams as the match swung from end to end.
St Joseph's had a goal ruled out for offside and Bevan missed a one-on-one chance in the dying minutes. It looked like extra-time was inevitable.
But in the 93rd minute, Luby had other ideas.
Resolute to the end
Even after the goal, Hakin had to dig deep. A late St Joseph's corner caused chaos in the box, but Jake Merry threw his body on the line to make a crucial block and preserve the clean sheet.
Now, Hakin United are just one win away from glory — and from ending a 20-year wait since their last West Wales Cup triumph in 2004.
Hakin United:
Fawcett, Merry, Power, Aldred, King (Thomas 51), Nicholson (Jones 72), Wilson (Bevan 56), Britton, Parks, Kilby, Walsh (Luby 61).
Unused: Devonald.
St Joseph's:
Williams, Lloyd-Evans, J. Evans (Morgan 94), R. Jones, Symmons (Price 94), Frost (Pelosi 63), Brown (A. Jones 77), Kerr, Owen, Hayden (Griffiths 79), Copp.
Officials:
Referee – Ben Williams
Assistants – Martin Oliver & Adam Bray
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Tyrone Minors out to boost All-Ireland bid by overcoming tricky Quarter-Final test
The Red Hands looked composed and confident in winning the Ulster title under manager Gerard Donnelly, but they are aware that they will face a tough assignment against a Cork side that lost to Kerry in the Munster decider. While Tyrone have gained in confidence and style, they will certainly know to be on their guard against a Cork outfit that never quite managed to unveil their fluency against the Kingdom. Cork will be missing the services of the influential Cathal McCarthy for this contest because of suspension, but they possess other talismen in the form of Eoin Maguire, Ben Corkery Delaney and Tom Whooley. Tyrone have been looking confident of late and this is scarcely surprising given that they have won three Ulster titles on the trot. Manager Donnelly is aware that his team can impose themselves on opponents and is hoping that they can get into their stride quickly. In Cathal Farley, Eoin Long, James Mulgrew and Padraig Donaghy, the Red Hands boast a number of players who will be capable of taking the game to their opponents. Peter Garrity and Peter Colton are two players who are capable of taking scores from distance, while the tight marking of the Tyrone defence has also thwarted several sides to date. Indeed, Donnelly's side play with great intensity but they may find scores hard to come by on this occasion. Still, if their attack sees enough of the ball anything is possible. Meanwhile, Cavan will confront Kerry in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship as part of the double bill on Saturday at O'Moore Park, Portlaoise (12.00 noon). The Cavan Minor side have crept to the fore recently, although they will be tested to the full by a Kerry outfit that have looked formidable to date. Harry McMullen, Sam Maguire, Faolan Graham, Nathan Quigley and Jake Brady have shown that they can underpin the Cavan outfit.
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Love Island star slams nepo baby comments about famous dad and show legend pal
The newest series of Love Island is due to arrive on our screens, with Dejon Noel-Williams being one of the latest contestants to try and find love Love Island's Dejon Noel-Williams has slammed nepo baby comments about his footballer dad and his show legend best mate. He is one of the new contestants trying to find love on the 2025 series of Love Island. Despite having a famous dad, Dejon has denied that he is a nepo baby as he enters the the villa. He has now spoken about his footballed dad Gifton Noel-Williams who has previously played for Stoke City, Watford and Burnley. Dejon works as a personal trainer and semi-professional footballer himself and has said his dad is proud of his own "football journey". However, he has now revealed that as a result he has been labelled as a nepo baby but hadn't heard the term used before this. Speaking about the situation, Dejon said: "Now that I've been called a nepo baby, I don't know how to react." He was also asked about his friendship with former Love Island star Tyrique Hyde. He said: "I've known him since we were kids, like babies. My dad and his dad played for the same team and they were best friends. As we got older, we had similar interests. We played for the same teams and we played against each other at football." Dejon is currently playing for Bedford Town and has previously played for Oxford United, Wealdstone, Guadalajara and the Grenada national team. The next series of Love Island is due to grace our screens on Monday for the 2025 series. A whole host of new singles have been chosen to go into the villa to try and find love while also navigating the twists and turns of the show. The series will be filmed in its usual Majorcan villa but it has been given a spruce up since last year. Producer Mike Spence said the crew have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure this season is one of the most explosive ever. He said: "We're going to give it all we've got. What we have planned for week one has never been done before on any Love Island series ever." The producer confirmed that there will be plenty of drama to get excited for and teased that week one will go down in history. Mike said: "We have a huge week one planned. It's hard to say what we're doing without saying it and I just hope we can pull it off. The way the islanders are coupled up is different too, we've never done it this way before." Love Island returns Monday, June 9 at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
South Wales Argus
10 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Saturday's briefing: Ange Postecoglou sacked as Wales ease past Lichtenstein
Wales kept on course for World Cup qualification with a comfortable win over Lichtenstein. Scotland's problems continued as they were humbled 3-1 at home by Iceland. Ange bows out Ange Postecoglou was sacked despite delivering Tottenham's first trophy in 17 years (Andrew Milligan/PA) Postecoglou's two-year reign as Tottenham manager came to an end despite having ended the club's 17-year wait for a trophy with victory in the Europa League final. Postecoglou delivered on his promise of 'always' winning in his second season thanks to the 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21. It etched the head coach name into the history books as only the third Spurs boss to taste European success and the first since 2008 to lift silverware – provoking an outpouring of affection from a previously split fanbase. A club statement read: 'We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the club. 'Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw. 'However, the board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the club for a change to take place.' Wales win but Williams injury a blow Neco Williams went off injured during Wales' 3-0 win over Lichtenstein (Nigel French/PA) Wales claimed a routine 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over minnows Liechtenstein on a night overshadowed by an injury to Neco Williams. Joe Rodon's first Wales goal – only his third in senior football – ended Wales' nervous wait to break the deadlock after 39 minutes. Harry Wilson and Kieffer Moore were also on the scoresheet in the space of three second-half minutes as Wales moved to the top of Group J with seven points from three games. But Wales will prepare for Monday's test against group favourites Belgium in Brussels with major concerns over the fitness of Williams. The Nottingham Forest full-back, in trying to cross on the byline midway through the first half, landed awkwardly and was in obvious pain as the Welsh medics ran to treat him. Williams attempted to get to his feet on two occasions before slumping to the turf and eventually left the pitch on a stretcher. Scotland slump again at home Cieran Slicker was at fault as Scotland lost 3-1 at home to Iceland (Andrew Milligan/PA) Cieran Slicker had a debut to forget as Scotland's World Cup qualifying warm-up friendly ended with a 3-1 defeat by Iceland at Hampden Park. The 22-year-old Ipswich goalkeeper replaced the injured Angus Gunn in the first half, minutes after which he conceded possession before Andri Gudjohnsen beat him with a terrific drive. John Souttar levelled in the 25th minute from a corner but Slicker and his defenders struggled collectively when the visitors regained the lead from a corner, just before the break, with Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson putting through his own goal. Slicker was again found wanting in the 52nd minute when he was beaten by a Victor Palsson header, which added the gloss for the visitors. Italy qualification in peril Italy's bid to qualify for a first World Cup since 2014 began in horrendous fashion as they were hammered 3-0 by an impressive Norway side in Oslo. Coach Luciano Spalletti was already under pressure following his team's Nations League quarter-final exit in March, which came off the back of a hugely-underwhelming display at Euro 2024 when the holders were eliminated in the last 16. His position now looks increasingly uncertain following a comprehensive humbling in their opening Group I match as goals from Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland in the first half left them trailing Norway by nine points, with only the group winners assured of a spot at the 2026 finals. What's on today? Taking in tomorrow night's stage 🏟️ — England (@England) June 6, 2025 England will look to uphold their perfect start to Thomas Tuchel's reign when they travel to face Andorra in Catalonia in World Cup qualifying. Northern Ireland go to Copenhagen to play Denmark in a friendly.
