Hayes & Yeading United earned a valuable three points at Church Road Saturday with striker Elliott Buchanan netting his first brace for the Club alongside a fine hard working performance from the returning Ben Wright.

United started very quickly and with just 35 seconds played a low Nathan Webb cross from the right led to a scramble in the Tamworth six yard box that eventually saw Aaron Mitchell get the ball clear.

Seven minutes later it was United's turn to scramble the ball away from inside the six yard box. Daniel Bradley had sent the ball through to Danny Thomas who nipped in behind Webb before forcing Lee Harrison to push his effort wide. The resultant corner was met by Alex Rodman who was denied by a point blank Harrison save and when the ball dropped into the six yard box another defensive block was needed before the ball was finally played clear.

After this scare United started to take a grip on proceedings, Ben Wright broke from halfway into the left channel, Richard Tait came to challenge but slipped as the United frontman moved past him before cutting inside and getting in a shot that Lambs keeper Ross Atkins blocked with his legs. Five minutes later Atkins was again in action, this time coming off his line sharply to deny former Lamb Bradley Pritchard who had been played in by skipper Peter Holmes.

Wright found the back of the visitors net on 24 minutes when he finished off a fine Buchanan cross but a goal on his return was denied by the referee's assistant flagging for offside.

Just before the half hour a neat passing exchange by United saw Adam Green find Holmes, he in turn played it right to Webb whose first time throughball saw Pritchard stretch and reach the ball before Atkins but he got too much lift and it cleared the Tamworth crossbar.

United's deserved breakthrough came six minutes before the break, Pritchard and Webb combined to fire a far post cross that Holmes did well to collect, he then rolled the ball to Buchanan on the edge of the area and with defender's slow to close him down he moved the ball to his favoured foot and curled a perfect shot past Atkins into the top corner (below right).

United came out in the second half very much in the mood to net a second. Wright saw a shot charged down in the Tamworth area, the loose ball ran to Adam Bygrave who fed it back to Wright, this time his shot sailed across the face of goal and wide of the far post. Minutes later Buchanan set up his strike partner and Wright again saw his shot blocked, this time the loose ball fell to Green who volleyed only for another defensive block to deny him.

Just before the hour though United did indeed double the advantage, Wright found Green on the left and he whipped in a cross that Buchanan met at the near post, slotting the ball past Atkins from close range.

Six minutes later, with the visitors pushing more men forwards, they almost got back in the game when a deflected drive by Bradley beat Harrison before crashing back off the upright to a surprised Adi Yussuf who fired over from 12 yards.

Fifteen minutes remained and Buchanan almost provided the ammunition for a third when he slid Wright through, the striker outpaced Richard Tait and fired past Atkins but his effort hit the side netting of the Tamworth goal. Lee Harrison in the United goal was called into action with tem minutes to go as substitute Neil MacKenzie was given space to advance into the area and get a shot in that the stopper did well to block behind.

Wright again went close for United having chested a Green throw, he hit a dipping volley that only just cleared the Lambs goal. Tamworth gave themselves a chance of stealing a point in the first minute of stoppage time when Harrison did well to block a shot from Yussuf but the loose ball ran to Tom Marshall whose shot from 20 yards, that Harrison appeared to have covered, took a deflection off Bygrave and sailed up over the keeper's head and bounced into the net.

Marshall could have netted a brace of his own minutes later but he headed straight into Harrison's grateful arms and referee Martin brought the game to an end with United earning a deserved three points.

Report by Kevin Watts.

Photos by Ray Peploe.

United Man of the Match: Elliott Buchanan.

Highlights courtesy of FC Video here.