College Cup: Halifax 1sts 9-0 Langwith 1sts

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Photos: Oona Venermo

Halifax 1sts romped to an unrelenting 9-0 victory over Langwith 1sts, heaping embarrassment onto the college whose teams have now conceded 57 goals in 12 matches at College Cup 2013, 22 of them coming this week alone.

It was the first time in the tournament that Halifax really looked to be stepping up a gear in their performances. Though Langwith were understrength, Halifax went for the jugular with unmitigating persistence, showing absolutely no remorse, which will stand them in good stead for the tougher tests to come.

Halifax have not only guaranteed Cup qualification with a week to spare, courtesy of four wins out of four, but are also the only side mathematically certain to finish in first place in their group (though for James 1sts to be toppled in Group B would take a 26 goal swing).

Ten seconds in and we saw a sign of things to come. Straight from the kick-off some nice Halifax interplay let in Matt Mawdesley but, with the goal gaping, he pulled his shot wide of the post.

It wasn’t to matter though as three goals in as many minutes put the game to bed in double quick time. The first was scored by Tom Day, who got on the end of Keiran Gennoy’s through ball and slotted the ball into the net.

A minute later and Hamish Denham had made it two. Jonny Sim punted the ball upfield and, as the Langwith back four let the ball bounce, Denham pounced and placed the ball calmly past Kris Cheshire in goal for Langwith, providing a rare assist from a goalkeeper for Sim.

Within sixty seconds it was three. A Halifax shot was blocked well on the line by a Langwith body, but the rebound fell kindly for Alex Tringham who smashed the ball into the net.

The game was a story of chances scored for Halifax and chances missed for Halifax, with little play going forward for Langwith but for a couple of moments in the second half. Matt Seed had a curling shot well saved by Cheshire, while Ash Daly was given space just outside the box to run and shoot but his effort went wide.

Day was causing no end of problems for the men in yellow, though. He added a second and then a third for his hat-trick before half time. Still, he could have had two more before then. A shot from twenty yards left Cheshire sprawling across goal but ended up just wide of the uprights, and afterwards he was on the end of Seed’s ball over the top, but his header went safely into Cheshire’s arms.

But he did eventually find the net again with two goals just before half time. The first saw Alex Tringham square the ball to Day, who turned to find space in the box and placed his shot into the bottom corner. The next one, completing his hat-trick, came courtesy of a Darling ball over the top. Day incrdibly controlled the ball of the top of his head – seemingly intentionally – which set the ball in his path for him to slot through the onrushing Cheshire’s legs, for a 5-0 half time score.

The second half was much the same story, Halifax dominance from start to finish, though Langwith did have their only moments of the match. Three minutes after the interval Langwith had some good passing play, with Halifax’s Gennoy falling to the ground after getting his feet tangled after some skills by Louis Pegg – much to the very audible amusement of his team-mate Dave Lewis on the other side of the pitch.

Still that Langwith play came to nothing, and a penalty soon made it 6-0. A Langwith player cynically pushed Tringham into the post as he was about to try and convert a low ball across the face of goal. Matt Darling stepped up and sent Cheshire the wrong way.

It was almost seven minutes later, as Denham’s header put Day through on goal, but the hat-trick man couldn’t decide what to do with the bouncing ball and eventually sent an unconvincing lob wide of the goal.

Langwith’s best chance came half way through the second period, thanks to a venomous half-volley from range by Andy Hutt. Sim in the ‘Fax goal was able to watch it go safely wide, however.

With ten minutes left it was 7-0. A cross from the right found Matt Mawdesley in acres of space five yards from goal at the back post. Instead of blasting a volley into the net, he inexplicably – but successfully – lobbed Cheshire, who was rooted to the spot. It was questionable whether Mawdesley intended to score in that manner or not, but there was no question that it was a goal.

Halifax put a cap on the day’s events with two more goals in the final moments of the match. The eighth was another for Mawdesley – wearing the most bizarre pair of shorts resembling a pair of curtains from the 1970s – curled a shot from the left inside the far post, beyond the despairing dive of the luckless Cheshire.

The final goal of the day was for substitute Dan Jones, but it was the unequalled Day who was the catalyst. A ball over the top found Day whose first touch saw the ball glued to his right foot, and the second squared the ball in between keeper and defender to allow Jones to pass into the empty net.

That turned out to be the end of Langwith’s torment. They were run ragged by an impressive Halifax side by a margin which could and perhaps should have been more. But they remain in contention for a second place finish; only a win over James 3rds will give them a chance, but unless Halifax slip up against Derwent 3rds, it would be enough.