Retford United Development 6 v Alfreton Town Reserves 0 - CMFL Div. One North

Thursday 18th April 2019
Central Midlands League Division One North
at Cannon Park
Retford United Development (1) 6
Brandon Ashmore 30,
Adam Watson 50, 85, 88,
Darius Smith 63,
Cory Goodwin 73
Alfreton Town Reserves (0) 0

Ollie Lawrence - unavailable tonight

Men v. Boys, would sum up perfectly what happened at Cannon Park tonight, as a youthful visiting side were wiped out by a second half onslaught from a strong Badgers side.

Alfreton finished the game with just eight players on the pitch, due to a lack of available substitutes, whereas a fairly strong Badgers side, applied the old adage, that 'you can only beat what is in front of you', to the letter of the law.

The hosts should've been ahead inside the opening ten minutes, but when Brandon Ashmore lobbed the ball over the advancing Alfreton keeper, Taylor Green, the ball cannoned back off of the crossbar, towards Cory Goodwin, who clipped the ball with a well struck first time effort, that Green did well to reach and tip over the bar, after recovering from being caught off of his line.
But on the half hour mark, there was very little that Green could've done, when Ashmore had time to pick his spot from the edge of the area, before drilling the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Phil Roberts floated a long free kick into the visitors area, that Mohamet Gashi flicked on invitingly into the path of Ashmore, but Green moved out quickly to claim the ball and avert the danger.

The Badgers captain, Adam Watson, accelerated forward, straight through the middle of the Derbyshire side's defence, before rolling the ball sideways to Goodwin on his right hand side, who let fly across the face of Green's goal, beating the keeper all ends up, but also narrowly cleared the far post.

HT: Retford United 1 v Alfreton Town 0

Five minutes after the restart, Ashmore was tripped just outside the away side's area... and Watson cracked the resulting free kick past Alfreton's ineffective wall, that offered no defensive qualities whatsoever, but obscured their keeper's view of Watson's strike completely, as the ball fizzed into Green's net.
Darius Smith advanced down the right and let fly from twenty yards out, to increase the Badgers lead, with a quality strike.
The visitors briefly pushed forward and Aaron Lamb was unlucky to see his dipping shot bounce off of the bar, while Kieran Conway denied Kieron Hinchley what looked to be a certain goal, with a great reflex save.

The live-wire Watson got forward for United on the right, and rolled the ball inside to Goodwin, who swept the ball past Green, to find the goal that he'd been threatening to score all night.

The Badgers number nine Watson, claimed two more goals inside the final five minutes, to chalk up his hat-trick, having had chances served up on a plate for him, by both Michael Wibberley and Goodwin, who'd been involved in just about everything in the attacking half for the victors tonight.

FT: Retford United Development 6 v Alfreton Town Reserves 0

The CMFL Divsion One North table, shows that Alfreton are currently in third place, while United are languishing back in sixth place.

League tables don't lie... but though I obviously can't comment on the rest of the visitors season thus far, I obviously finally caught up with them, when they must've been having an off night.