Dandy Town 5 Somerset Eagles 0

Dandy Town maintained a perfect start to their league campaign, picking up their fourth successive win, with a convincing 5-0 victory over Somerset Eagles at Goose Gosling field yesterday.

The Hornets controlled the match from start to finish and even chose to play a man short in the dying minutes of the first half, for tactical purposes after picking up two injuries early.

“At the time we looked quite comfortable and I was mindful not to make unnecessary subs so early in the match so I asked the players to manage the game until we could sort things out at the half,” said Town coach Kwame Steede. “It was a good performance today and we are developing some momentum but we know that navigating a season is a process and the objective is to continue to improve with each game.”

It didn’t take long for the hosts to get their noses in front as Angelo Simmons found himself walking in on the keeper after receiving a neat backheel from Jahtino Richardson-Martin. Jermaine Rumley did well to save the initial shot from Simmons but was rather unfortunate to see his save ricochet off the head of the trailing defender and back into the net for the first goal.

Ten minutes later Richardson-Martin came close to getting on the score sheet himself, but his snapshot from the edge of the box went just wide. This was only moments after Cecoy Robinson came close with his low drive from similar range. On the half-hour mark, however, Robinson would get his reward tapping the ball in at the back post from a Eusebio Blankendal cross from the right. Robinson should have made it three just before the half time whistle but blazed over the bar from a good position.

Somerset Eagles had a short spell of good possession coming out of the interval, but any thoughts of a comeback were soon dismissed when Richardson-Martin struck twice in the space of seven minutes. In the 52nd minute, the midfielder who was at the centre of much of his team’s attack received a through ball and finished sharply under the advancing goalkeeper to score his first of the match. He was then on hand to meet the cross of Judah Chapman, and finish firmly into the roof of the net to effectively put the game out of reach.

It was now a matter of how much and after a couple of missed opportunities, Simmons would finally get in on the action as he latched on to a pass inside the box, rounded the keeper and settled himself completely, before finishing hard and low to make it five.

The loss leaves Eagles at the foot of the table as the only team who has not collected a single point thus far.

SCORERS

Dandy Town: Morrissey og 4, Robinson 28, Richardson-Martin 52, 59, Simmons75

TEAMS

Dandy Town (3-4-3): J Manders — E Trott (sub: L Emery, 72min), J Bean-Lindo, T Webb — E Blankendal, A Furbert, J Chapman, J Martin-Richadson— O Lowe (sub: D Jones, 46), A Simmons, C Robinson. Substitutes not used: J Roser, M Mello-Cann, D Scraders, N Carmichael, J Furbert. Booked: Trott.

Somerset Eagles (4-3-3): J Rumley — A Morrissey, D Woolridge, G Smith, K Abraham — E Fubler, D Joell (sub: S Lambert, 46), A Telford — N Rego, K Durrant (sub: D Simmons, 77), T Wade (sub: S Greenidge-Saltus, 63). Substitutes not used: C Albuoy, K Trott, L Millet, M Battersbee.

Referee: D Jackson.