Langwith were blown away in a three minute spell on the astro yesterday, with Derwent scoring three goals in rapid succession to put paid to Langwith’s hopes of gaining a highly credible draw against the College Cup favourites. Goals from Dan Atherton, Josh Baines and Xander Brinkworth were enough to see off the unfancied Langwith, who can still be proud of a dogged display that forced Derwent to work hard for the win.
Langwith defended with concentration and commitment in the first half, consistently frustrating a Derwent side perhaps still recovering from their Roses fixture the previous day. The windy conditions didn’t make for flowing football, and chances were few and far between as Derwent dominated possession but failed to find an end product once in the final third. With moments remaining before the half time whistle Derwent broke through however, with Dan Atherton curling home a sumptuous free kick from the edge of the area that left the net bulging and the goalkeeper rooted to the spot. It was a truly unstoppable effort, and was tough on a Langwith side that hadn’t given Derwent an inch.
Langwith didn’t let their heads drop after the interval though, and came back out playing at full pelt. They were rewarded for their efforts when, after winning a corner on 40 minutes, Callum Sheridan rose well to head Luke Holbrook’s ball into the top corner and make it 1-1. The question now was whether Langwith would have the composure – and the legs – to hold out for a draw against arguably the competition’s most in-form side. They almost did, staying strong for the next minutes as Derwent struggled to break down the immovable object that was the Langwith defence. With ten minutes to go to full time, it looked increasingly possible that they might snatch an unlikely draw.
Derwent had other intentions though, and after Atherton put another free kick against the crossbar, Derwent broke Langwith’s resistance when Josh Baines turned and drove the ball home from the edge of the area. After holding out for most of the match, this was the goal that broke the camel’s back. Barely thirty seconds later Xander Brinkworth was through on goal to lob Langwith’s onrushing keeper and make it 3-1, and then almost straight from the restart Atherton got his second and Derwent’s fourth, grabbing the ball and jinking past two defenders before racing into the penalty area and slotting home. It was a cruel blow to Langwith, who will have taken much from yesterday’s match, but in just a few moments of style Derwent showed just how good they can be.