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Derwent 1sts 9 – 0 Goodricke 1sts
– Derwent hit 9 unanswered
– Stay joint top of the table with James
– Striker Nicholson bags 4 after scoring twice for 2nds the day before
– Shelbourn adds two, with Bell, Easter, and Gwinnett also scoring
DERWENT 1STS finally managed to hit their goalscoring stride and scored 9 against Goodricke. In a game which they were expected to win, Derwent earned the biggest Premier Division victory of the season. They stay joint top of the table with James, also closing their goal difference gap with the Black Swan.
So far this season the men in black and blue have been quietly going about their business, with the 6-2 victory over Halifax the closest they have come to breaking out of their shell. A solitary goal separated them from Alcuin last weekend, suggesting maybe they were struggling to hit the attacking heights of last season. Yet they clicked into gear against bottom side Goodricke, cruising to an imposing win.
4 goals from striker Rob Nicholson and a brace from Tom Shelbourn were added to by goals from Ryan Gwinnett, Euan Bell and Joe Easter. Nicholson’s 4 goals takes him up to an amazing 6 for the weekend, after playing earlier for the Derwent 2nds.
The game settled into its predicted pattern, with Derwent on the front foot and Goodricke looking to make an impression on the counter. Initially, it looked like it might be a tough ask for Derwent, with ‘Ricke posting several men on the edge of the box and looking hard to break down.
Goodricke managed to hold out solidly for 15 minutes, before Derwent’s quality began to shine through. Skipper Gwinnett was played down the right side of the box before sliding the ball inside to Joe Easter who obliged with a cool finish.
With the floodgates open and Goodricke heads down, Derwent began to throw wave after wave of attack at the men in green. It wasn’t long before they found a second, and what a beauty it was. Tom Shelbourn, playing out of position at holding midfield, exchanged an intricate series of passes with Rob Nicholson and Joe Easter before sliding home. Lone striker Nicholson, quiet up until this point, scored his first of the match just 6 minutes later. Captain Gwinnett was again involved, threading a ball through to Nicholson who calmly rounded the keeper and slotting home.
At 3 goals, Derwent seemed to take their foot off the pedal, with Goodricke’s Billy Bruce wasting a free kick from a decent shooting position. However, Derwent’s march continued 5 minutes before the break with centre-back Euan Bell scoring a well-struck angled half volley after a corner.
With the score standing at 4-0, things were looking bleak for Goodricke. They were to get even worse soon after, with Gwinnett getting the goal his play deserved. A mazy run from the back by Bell saw Gwinnett receive the ball on the edge of the box before firing into the net with aplomb.
Nicholson grabbed his second after Goodricke failed to clear a corner and had two glorious chances to claim his hat trick straight after, somehow hitting the post from a few yards and poking wide when one-on-one. His hat-trick still came, slotting home after being played through.
He managed to grab another minutes later, this the best of the lot. Some beautiful build-up play from Shelbourn and Gwinnett led to Nicholson being fed with his back to goal. A sublime first touch took the ball away from the defender and a swiveled finish did the rest.
The industrious Shelbourn, who impressed in an unfamiliar role all game, provided the finishing gloss with his second. A short corner came to Easter, who whipped a dangerous ball into the near post which Shelbourn met with a glancing header.
Victorious captain Ryan Gwinnett said “We knew what we had to do today, and it was important to not be complacent. We went through the motions in the first half and got that early goal. It was good to see a few of the 2nds boys come into the team and play really well”.
Vision MotM: Tom Shelbourn (Derwent)
Derwent 1sts: Cooper; Castiglione, Belshaw, Bell, Askham; Shelbourn, Ingham, Easter, Gwinnett(c), Fotheringham; Nicholson
Goodricke 1sts: Hughes; Duffin, Carmichael, Olsen, Anderson, Ryatt, Sides, Sullivan (c), Hurst, Bruce; Jeffrey. Subs: Tandy, Gibson