Hakin United's grip over Narberth in the final of the Pembrokeshire Senior Cup continues - for another year at least. This was the third time the teams had met in the showpiece event of local football, but sadly for Narberth, it was not a case of third time lucky as they went down by a solitary goal; a goal scored just three minutes into the match. Barry Walters's team failed to give their manager the send off he deserved after three years at the helm of the Bluebirds. They battled, they harassed, they created opportunities, but they just couldn't put them away. Try as they did, victory was beyond them. In a dour game by recent final standards, the Bluebirds created three gilt edged chances and missed every one of them. It just wasn't their day. Perhaps the thought of going into the game as favourites played heavily on their minds. Many soccer pundits predicted a victory for them against a Hakin side missing a few senior players from the all-conquering team that has dominated local football for so long, but it just wasn't to be. Conceding a goal after just 180 seconds of the match would have been a blow, but there was still plenty of time to recover. Hakin dominated the first half, but Narberth were able to contain their attacking sorties up field through some resolute defence. They even created the odd chance against the run of play, but Wayne Howells uncharacteristically rushed his opportunity when more time was available and his shot went wide. In the second period, the Bluebirds grew in confidence and began to get the upper hand. Adi Jones's pace began to tell, causing Hakin's experienced defence plenty of problems, but he just couldn't find the back of the net. As time wore on, Narberth's chances of getting an equaliser and ultimately a winner were subsiding, but on 84 minutes they were given a lifeline. Jones was brought down in the box and a penalty awarded. Raff Barnett stepped up to the mark, but his tame shot was easily saved. Walters admitted that this was the straw that broke the camel's back for Narberth, saying that their number was up when the penalty was missed, but refused to blame Raff for the defeat: "Had we snatched a goal, I think our fitness would have told as they were beginning to look tired. Scoring the penalty would have been a boost, but we had plenty of chances to win the game before that, but we didn't convert any of them. That is what cost us, not the penalty miss. "Overall there is a feeling that we could have won it. They were there for the taking, but they know how to win these games and I think that told. "You have to give them credit for that. It wasn't a great game, but it was a fair game, and I'm bitterly disappointed by the result." Walters has decided to step down as manager to spend more time with his family. Saturday's result was not the one he or his team wanted, but he will take some good memories from his time in charge: "It's been a great three years," he said. "We're going in the right direction. We've got some good youngsters coming through and the experience of playing in a game like this will hold them in good stead. The future looks bright for Narberth."