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Ashford Town (Mdx) 0
Hayes & Yeading Utd 14
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The biggest fear for United’s youngsters at Ashford Town on Monday evening would have been complacency as they arrived in the knowledge that the home side had lost their previous fixture 16-0 and while this did not get much better for the very young Tangerines side, all I can say is they deserve full credit for battling all the way to the end.
On a hard bumpy pitch at the Robert Parker Stadium, it took United a little while to find their footing with the first clear opening not coming until the 11th minute when a powerful Michael O’Neil header was blocked by a defender on the line and cleared.
The United skipper was not to be denied though and he opened the scoring just a minute later when he arrived in the middle to smash home a left wing Joe Gasper cross.
Ashford ‘keeper Riyad Moussaid denied Stan Cargill and Wesley Tobino in quick succession, the latter’s chance rebounding off a defender onto the crossbar and back into the ‘keepers arms before another opening for Cargill saw a snapshot go inches wide of the target.
Number two came on 22 minutes, Shane Nugent raced away down the right wing, and he found Cargill who breezed past Adam El Alaoui before playing the ball square to Tobino who slid the ball home.
A Cargill avalanche was soon to follow as United’s top scorer netted four times in a dozen minutes. His first on 27 minutes was courtesy of the hardness of the playing surface, a throw-in from the right pitched and bounced over the defender to a grateful striker who volleyed home from just inside the box.
His second came four minutes later when Gasper’s excellent pass sent him through down the left, the United striker placing a fine curling shot beyond the reach of Moussaid in the home goal.
A chance for number five soon came along after Tobino was tripped in the box by Sunny James and referee Payne pointed to the spot. Gasper stepped up to take the kick and placed his shot towards the corner only to be denied by an excellent save by Moussaid diving full stretch to his left.
Still United piled on the pressure, Tobino had a shot pushed away by Moussaid and when the ball ran to Gasper he also hit the target but was again denied by the quick reactions of Moussaid.
Two in a minute for Cargill took United’s tally to six. The first saw the striker benefit after a 35 yard dipper from Nugent came back off the bar, the striker smashing the ball home from 18 yards and then almost immediately Josh Penemo won possession in the Ashford half and slid Cargill through and he did the rest by sliding the ball past the advancing goalkeeper.
The half closed out with Tobino setting up Cargill who saw his drive come back off the crossbar and then a rare sortie upfield for the hosts saw Alfie Poole try his luck from distance but his shot was just wide enough not to cause Joseph Powell problems in the United goal.
With six in the bag in the first 45 minutes, it was to get worse for the home side in the second period as United found the net a further eight times.
First of the half, and a second for Tobino, came on 51 minutes when Jayde Alcendor played Tobino down the left flank, the striker dancing his way past all and sundry into the middle before firing past Moussaid.
A double substitution for United on 54 minutes paid dividends almost immediately as Joe Weight found Nugent on the right side, his cross was clawed out from under the bar by Moussaid only for Rhys Williams to hook the ball home from close to the goal line.
Another snapshot from the home side came on the hour mark as Ollie Edwards made good inroads on the right corner of the United box, his well struck shot going the wrong side of the upright from the Tangerines perspective.
United then employed a third substitute in the shape of Salar Jalal and with one of his first touches he picked out Tobino on the right and he moved to the bye-line before pulling the ball back to Cargill who tapped home his fifth of the evening and United’s ninth.
Substitute number two found the net on 68 minutes when Cargill collected a deep pass and rolled it to Weight who took a touch and fired home from the edge of the box with the aid of the slightest of deflections off a defender.
Tobino completed his hat-trick on 78 minutes when he showed quick feet to turn his marker before curling a shot into the top corner, the chance being made courtesy of fine approach play by Jalal and Weight.
Moussaid saved from Alcendor soon after but could do nothing to stop United notching numbers 12 and 13 within a minute of each other. The first saw a fourth for Tobino who slid home from a tight angle after being played in by Cargill and then Cargill himself netted his sixth, meeting a Nugent cross with a well timed half volley.
The final say of the game went to Jalal who made it a goal apiece for the United substitutes when he fired home a Tobino cross in the 89th minute.
While this looks and indeed was a comprehensive victory for United, I am ending with a massive amount of praise also for the hosts who I believe due to events just prior to the season lost their entire under 18 squad and this side that we faced is more like an under 16 side. That being said the Tangerines did their manager and club proud by not letting their heads drop and giving everything to the end and we wish them well for the rest of the season.
Report by Kevin Watts.
United Men of the Match: Stan Cargill and Wesley Tobino.
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Ashford Town (Middlesex) |
Hayes & Yeading United |
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