Cardiff Met put eight goals past Haverell in the Premier League's opening fixture, winning 6-1 at home on Saturday. The result leaves the hosts seventh in the table with 14 points after eight games, while the visitors sit bottom with just one point from a draw and seven defeats.
J. Payne opened the scoring in the ninth minute and would go on to add two more, finishing with a hat-trick. J. Clarke doubled the lead after five minutes, and L. Mwandwe made it four before half-time. J. Sconce restored six-goal cushion, and S. Jones added the final touch in the 81st minute.
and here's the thing — Cardiff had a chance to extend their advantage early on. C. Craven missed a penalty in the 44th minute, and the referee didn't alter his decision after review. The hosts had 12 shots on target to Haverell's five, but the visitor failed to convert when it mattered.
There were plenty of bookings to mark the occasion. Haverell collected five yellow cards compared to three for Cardiff, with F. Yonsian, D. Sullivan, J. Edwards, C. Craven and T. Bibby among those cautioned. The visitors also had A. Mudimu and J. Veale booked late on.
Cardiff Met dominated possession at 61 per cent and registered 104 attacks against 100 for the away side. They earned six corners to Haverell's two, and the shot differential — 17 attempts on goal combined — tells you where the pressure fell.
by then the match was already beyond doubt. Haverell have opened talks to change their approach after such a heavy start, but the table shows what the reality looks like: one point from eight games, and the gap to safety is growing.