Boxing Day winners

It was an early rise and down to North Road for the Boxing Day fixture which saw us welcome Halstead Town in a game between teams currently sitting in 8th and 9th place but with both teams having 2 games in hand which would take them up to 3rd with maximum points. There were the normal presents with Jake Gould getting some new boots but most disturbingly although it does explain a few things, the club skipper Warren was brought some David Beckham pants by the gaffer Webster?? At least that now explains how his skipper. A few changes were made after the last game against Team Bury with Scott Page and Warren Joseph coming in for Liam Morley and Phil Kelly who dropped to the bench. We played most of the first half at a slow pace which suited the visitors and they created the first chance after 10 minutes but Dan Beeson was out quick to smother the shot. After 12 minutes we took the lead when Ricky Griggs’s corner was met by Jake Holman who was denied at the first attempt but he reacted quickest and smashed in to the roof of the net to make it 1-0. We increased our lead after 20 minutes with Kevin Hughes meeting Ricky Griggs’s free-kick; his flick was headed home by Scott Page despite a touch from the keeper to make it 2-0. Despite being slightly off the pace we went close again with Ricky and Jamie Clark both seeing their shots just wide. After 38 minutes the away side got a goal back after a left wing cross found the striker. Beeson saved the initial shot superbly but the striker was quickest to the rebound and made it 2-1. HT 2-1
A change was made at half-time with Phil Kelly coming on for Liam Whittaker and the lads knowing they needed to increase their work rate on and off the ball. After 5 minutes we increased the lead when Kevin Hughes was brought down in the box much to the annoyance of the away bench, it looked reasonably soft in my opinion. Jamie Clark stepped up and finished to make it 3-1. The goal and our improving work rate saw us largely dominate the 2nd half and with the substitutions of Julian Simon-Parson and Charlie Thompson this seemed to increase our performance. The away keeper then made an absolute worldie of a save when he managed to tip over Phil Kelly's 25 yarder which was arrowing for the top corner.Scott Page got his second after a good ball from Ricky Griggs; he rounded the keeper and did a 360 so he didn’t have to use his left foot to make it 4-1. The away side’s only effort of any significance saw the striker smash the bar from 25 yards but Dan Beeson looked to have it covered. Ricky Griggs got his hat-trick of assists when his corner was powered home by Kevin Hughes whose header found the top bins to make it 5-1 after 80 minutes. FT 5-1
A good win which sees us move up to 6th place with a game in hand on teams above us. Liam Whittaker was off still detoxing from the team night out in Cambridge whilst Darryl Wallis continued his quest to be crowned World’s Strongest Man, after his car lift on the way to Debenham his now super seeded this by lifting a roof where as skipper Warren was just lifting shirts.