Photos: Ruth Gibson
The first three rounds of college cup games saw Wentworth 1sts take an unlikely backseat to Halifax 3rds, who had been performing above expectations to occupy the second qualification spot.
Eager to put the giant-killers back in their place, Wentworth went into this game against the group whipping-boys knowing that not only points were needed, but also an improvement in their goal difference, which could prove vital come the end of next week.
The postgraduate side pursued that objective from the whistle, and were rewarded within minutes. Luke Fleet’s bullet throw from the right was lashed in with the help of the wind, creating defensive pandemonium and a chance for centre-back Carl Hodgson to open the scoring. 1-0.
Dom Green lofted the ball over the bar before the purples doubled their lead with a left-sided copy of the first goal. Alex Smith hurled in a strong throw, against the wind, and Lachlan Murray was able to tuck inside the far post with a trickling left-footed finish.
Alcuin 3rds were unable to deal with the long throws, and another Fleet throw created a decent chance for Green, who wasn’t far away from adding to his side’s advantage.
There was just time for Reda Bouchaib to slice wide Alcuin’s only first-half chance, before the half-time whistle blew.
Shortly after the restart, David Ambrozejczyk was able to test Wentworth goalkeeper Mladen Sormaz with a free-kick, but the tide soon changed and Wentworth pressure resumed.
The next goal was one to forget for Alcuin goalkeeper Peter Sutton; Luke Fleet’s cross-come-shot bobbled slowly through the penalty area, evading striker Bruce Rawlings and heading for the corner of the net. Sutton realised the ball was goal-bound too late, and could only dive despairingly as the ball inched over the line.
With Alcuin all but beaten, it was to be a case of how many for Wentworth. Matt Beacham and Dave Worsley went close, before Lachlan Murray tapped home to make the score 4-0. There was time for Beacham and Murray to go close again, but Wentworth couldn’t make it five.
Still, a good win sees their qualification credentials boosted, but Halifax 3nds and Goodricke 2nds are still far from out of contention.
Vision’s MOTM: Luke Fleet