Hayes & Yeading United maintained their 17 point lead at the top of the table with a thoroughly professional 4-0 victory on a dry bumpy pitch away at then third placed Westfield.
Paul Hughes made a couple of changes to Tuesday's starting XI with George Bennett coming in for the injured Kunle Otudeko with top scorer Lee Barney coming in for Chid Onokwai who took a place on the bench for this one.
The first opening of this encounter fell to the home side on 12 minutes when Harry Carter and Tinashe Nkoma combined on the right side, the latter's whipped in centre being cut out well inside his own six yard box by Joe Wilson with the clearance being completed by Ed Asafu-Adjaye.
Within a minute Wilson was involved again, this time at the other end where having collected the ball from George Bennett, the defender played the ball inside to Scott Bridges who laid it off to skipper Scott Donnelly and he in turn let fly from 20 yards but despite beating home stopper Gary Ross, his drive went wide off the far post.
Another chance for United, playing with the wind, came three minutes later. Toby Little's cross was deflected in the air, Donnelly with his back to goal lofted the ball toward the far post where Lee Barney got a shot in that Ross blocked wide.
With United controlling a lot of the possession another chance came on 24 minutes, Little collected on the left and he picked out Elliot Benyon in the centre, his shot was saved by Ross who then blocked out Wilson's follow up before he grabbed a second effort from Benyon as the loose ball again fell to he striker.
As we entered the final ten minutes of the half more chances came and went for United. Benyon set up Donnelly but his shot looped over off a defenders outstretched boot and within a minute Little's cross was flicked on to Wilson who returned the ball to the middle of the box where Barney got a header away but the effort went wide of the target.
38 minutes had been played and United were almost caught out at the back as a Nkoma centre feel nicely to Arsen Ujkaj, however returning stopper Jack Smith was alert and quickly out to smother the ball at the midfielders feet.
The final chance before the break not surprisingly fell to United, Liam McDevitt getting his head to a Bridges free-kick but his effort was marginally wide as the United defender still awaits his first goal of the season.
United made a change at the break with Wilson being replaced by the experienced Ashley Smith on the right side of the United defence and it then took just six minutes for United to take a deserved lead. McDevitt met a Little corner with a powerful header that came back off the upright with Benyon forcing home the loose ball from close range (below left).
The home side came straight back at United and three minutes after going behind they had a golden chance to test Jack Smith as a long Ross punt was collected by the unmarked Aaron Watson on the left side, he moved into the United box before firing across goal and well wide of the far post.
On the hour mark the home side again went close when Kadeem Ajeon's corner kick was only cleared as far as Nkoma by Asafu-Adjaye, the Westfield midfielder hitting a curling shot that only just went wide of the United goal.
Just 60 seconds later United doubled their advantage. Little received the ball on the left side, his deep centre evaded everybody in the middle before being collected on the right side by Ashley Smith, his low ball back into the box saw a neat Benyon step over which left the ball to run to Donnelly and he smashed it past Ross from 12 yards.
United almost got a comical third two minutes later when a spinning high ball was miss-kicked by Ross with the ball falling to Benyon who with the 'keeper in no mans land fired the ball across from the acutest of angles with Jack Dean beating the on-coming Little to the ball to clear the danger from inside his own six yard box.
With 20 minutes left on the referee's watch United scored probably the best goal of the game as Asafu-Adjaye lofted he ball perfectly over the home defence from the centre of the pitch, Bridges broke away from midfield to beat the offside trap, collecting the ball before moving into the box and firing past Ross (below) to make it 3-0 to Paul Hughes' table toppers.
United still pushed on looking for more. Asafu-Adjaye found Barney but he was denied by Ross and a minute later a long Jack Smith punt picked out Benyon on the left side of the Westfield area, he advanced along the bye-line before sliding the ball through Ross's legs only for it to roll all the way along the goal line before being played away to safety.
United's two tireless strikers were exchanged for substitutes Duncan Culley and Chid Onokwai up front in the final ten minutes and both were involved in United's fourth that came in stoppage time. Bridges and Little played a short corner routine before the latter rolled the ball to Culley in the box, he held off several attempts at a tackle before laying the ball to Bridges who fed it back to Onokwai and he seemed as surprised as anybody else when his somewhat tame shot from 12 yards trundled past Ross into the Westfield net for his first in a United shirt since his arrival from FC Romania.
And that was the game done and dusted at 4-0 as referee Ablitt soon drew the afternoon's entertainment to a close.
Report by Kevin Watts.
Photos by Montimagemedia ©.
United Man of the Match: Elliot Benyon.
