Goals aplenty as Yellamen reach twenty
Ascot United cruised to a 6-0 victory against Oxhey Jets in the top-versus-bottom encounter on Saturday afternoon.
Watford-based Jets are in danger of being cut adrift at the bottom of the table with just eight points from 18 games leaving them eight points adrift of safety, but Ascot were nonetheless wary of a side who had come within 12 minutes of taking points off 2nd-placed Reading City a week earlier.
However, the game was as good as over by half time thanks to a late glut of goals after the visitors had thwarted Ascot after conceding early-on.
The opening goal came from the trusty right-foot of Sean McCormack, who was lurking at the far post to smack hard and low past Lewis Lavin after Brendan Matthew had headed on from Harry Grant’ cross.
Usman Lalustani then headed wide from McCormack’s teasing cross following good work from George Lock, before Jets survived a trio of consecutive corners.
Lalustani then planted a golden chance over the bar when it looked easier to score – McCormack once again the provider – before only a brilliant covering tackle from Dan Naylor denied Matthew after he raced onto Grant’s through ball just after the half-hour mark.
And, after impressively surviving the onslaught Oxhey finally crumbled when Jordan Ajanlekoko was on hand at the far post to tap home Matthew’s intelligent header back across the goal in the 32nd minute (pictured, shooting-stars.co.uk), before Lock’s brilliant cross was headed home by Lalustani to make it 3-0 three minutes later.
There was still time for the Yellamen to bag a fourth on the stroke of half time when Matthew rolled into the right hand corner after latching onto Harry Tucker’s assist.
After the break, Ascot once again scored within four minutes, and once again it was McCormack with the delivery – this time for Dan Bailey to head home his second goal in two games.
At the other End Sean Giordmaini fired over from long range in what was his side’s only notable chance, before Ascot rang the changes in the 53rd minute. Two of those replacements then combined in the 67th minute as Kai Walters teed up Marcus Mealing to sing Lavin’s palms, whereas another substitute – Keaton August – disappointingly fired over when he should have hit the target before later hobbling off holding his hamstring, leaving Ascot with ten men for the remaining seven minutes.
But despite their numerical disadvantage, Matthew finally got a bobbling ball under control, evaded a couple of tackles and fired home for Ascot in the 89th minute to make it 6-0 and make it 20 matches unbeaten, a run stretching back to early October.
Ascot United: Ashdown, Lock (Walters 53’), Gerrard, Ajanlekoko (Bouwers 53’), Bailey (Ellis 53’), Tucker, McCormack (August 53’), H. Grant (Mealing 53’), Matthew, Lalustani, Welch.
