With the return of Nat & Gary F. following injury, we were able to field a strong squad, despite the unavailability of a couple of regulars.
The wintry weather conditions were to prove very difficult at times, with snow showers & a gusting wind, but we got off to a positive start & contrived to miss three chances when it seemed much easier to score. The deadlock was broken following an excellent throw from James that enabled Tom to make ground down the right wing.
His low cross was fumbled by their 'keeper & Richard put the loose ball into the net. Good work from Jamie created two more goals, first for Matt & then Richard & after Matt had returned the favour for Jamie to score a well-deserved first goal for the club, the game was effectively won by half-time.
We began the second half by conceding a soft goal after a free kick from just inside our half was allowed to drift into our box. Neither defence nor 'keeper took responsibility & they scored from a free header.
This was the only blemish on what was an efficient defensive performance in difficult conditions & it was a timely reminder that there was still a game to finish off. Pressure was soon back on their goal & Richard completed his hat-trick with a good left- footed effort to restore our four goal lead. Good combination down our left involving Luke & Jamie gave Gary F. an easy finish & the best goal of the game.
Finally, a good corner from Jim caused confusion in their box & Joe was in the right place to bundle the ball in & complete the scoring.
This was the kind of game that potentially could have been awkward, but due to persistance & the correct attitude it resulted in an easy win. It was good to get back into the habit of scoring goals again & to have the game settled by half-time was a definite improvement upon recent performances.
We are now entering the decisive period of the season & with games to play against all of the teams above us, we can take advantage of our games in hand & get into the top two.
Team:
J.Ramskill
T.Lowe
L. Smith
N.Sargent
N.Edwards
M.Rice-Tucker
N. Twiggs,
G. Knight
J O'Connell
R. Stanton,
J. Nissen
Subs:
G. Francis for (N. Twiggs)
J. Fitzgerald for (M. Rice-Tucker)
N. Forward for (N. Edwards)