Yellamen win 4-0 to make it super eight on the trot
Ascot United powered their way to an eighth successive win in a 4-0 triumph at Burnham on Saturday. The Yellamen were too strong for their hosts, against whom they have now scored nine goals without reply this season.
Coming into the game, Ascot were eyeing a sequence of matches against teams in the bottom half of the league – seven of their next eight schedules to be precise – as they look to maintain their momentum up the table.
Burnham – lying 12th but having changed managers and improved since a 5-0 mauling in the reverse fixture – were on the end of an early blitz as Ascot took the lead after just 75 seconds. Taylor Morgan’s pressure had won his side possession outside the box, Sean McCormack picked out Keaton August’s run, and August volleyed the ball past Carl Dennison via a faint deflection.
The hosts had their moments; Leo Decabo might have done better than drag wide after Dwayne Clarke had played him in and Matteo Esposito found the side-netting on the half-hour mark, but The Yellamen stood firm at the back despite an injury-enforced early reshuffle as Louis Bouwers replaced Chris Ellis in defence.
And, they finished the half strongly leading to their second goal when, after Rory Merrick had hassled his side back into possession into midfield, August laid the ball off to McCormack, and he delivered an inch-perfect cross for George Lock to rifle home on the volley.
The second half was more clear cut as Ascot continued to press the home side and would soon make the game safe.
Burnham did threaten briefly when Sam Gray stood up well to Tayo Ajayi in the 55th minute albeit the tight angle was never in the hosts’ striker’s favour, before The Yellamen ran away with it.
Tom Scott scored an absolute screamer on the hour mark to make it 3-0, electing to shoot from the corner of the penalty area and curling the ball over Dennison and into the top left hand corner.
Dennison then made an hash of Scott’s 65th minute corner which he palmed into his own net to put his side 4-0 down, before earlier substitute Bouwers hobbled off clearly struggling following an earlier collision with Dennison.
Ill-discipline cost the home side when substitute Harvey Hope was red-carded for throwing McCormack into the perimeter fence late-on, but there was still time for Gray to preserve his side’s clean sheet with a neat save from Decabo’s 86th free kick that had curled out of the dipping Winter sunshine.
Ascot United: Gray, Lock, Everiss, Merrick, Bailey, Ellis (Bouwers (Nortey)), McCormack, Scott, Morgan (Harper), August, Surpanu (Masters).
