Safely Through

On a cold blustery morning the Lions made the short trip up the A1 to face their hosts Hatfield United in this Herts Vets Cup match.

It was the visitors who started the brightest, with Levack and Abrams terrier-like in holding midfield allowing Stanton to play with freedom behind the front three of Cash, Corin and Lenchner. Cash and Corin both going close in the opening stages with Corin seeing his effort crash against the bar.

After ten minutes the breakthrough.... Stanton involved on the edge of the box teasing the home defence and the ball falling to Cash who wrong footed the home stopper from just inside the penalty area.

10 minutes later and it should have been two nil, Lenchner put clean through by Abrams, who rather than take on the keeper, opted to square the ball to the onrushing Cash who’s shot hit the outside of the post.

Changes were made and on 32 minutes Bentley got himself on the end of a Corin pull back to tap home from a yard, and whilst the home sides appeals for offside were dismissed by the referee the Lions were 2-0 up.

The home side did have a glorious chance to pull one back before half time, Abrahams making himself big and saving with his feet after over casual defending gifted Hatfield the chance.

The second half began with Lions upping the tempo and improving on their quality and use of the ball. Stanton again the architect of all the good things that the Lions were doing. A strong surging run from Glass through the heart of the Hatfield defence laying it off for Stanton who danced his way into the penalty area, bamboozling the home defence, putting a few of them on the deck with a jinking run that had more twists and turns in it than a cheap garden hose, before coolly slotting the ball past the helpless home keeper, 3-0.

A fourth wasn’t too far away, Rayner galloping down the right hand side into acres of space, sending in a clever defence splitting pass to Cash who expertly toe poked it into the bottom left hand corner.

The home side's frustrations were now at boiling point, and with the referee struggling to keep order, the Lions side had to show restraint and professionalism when their hosts resorted in what can only be described as reckless, late and dangerous challenges, Bentley lucky to pick himself up off the ground on a few occasions after some wild studs-showing challenges that really should have seen a couple of the home side sent for an early bath.

The Lions claimed a fifth goal after another fantastic run, this time by Corin, who was brought down in the penalty area, Cash dispatching the penalty for his hat-trick.

With time running out, the Lions claimed a sixth, Lenchner getting himself on the scoresheet, after a patient build up, Berg and Silver involved with the ball finding Stanton who’s floated deep cross was powerfully headed home by the very handsome forward.

So the Lions travel safely through to the next round of the cup, and more importantly without any injury concerns, put on a first class display and let their free-flowing football do the talking in potentially difficult circumstances.