Soccer: Changes pay off for AFC
AFC Sudbury 5 Waltham Abbey 0
AFC SUDBURY remain in second place behind leaders Dartford after completing their second league double of the season at King's Marsh Stadium on Saturday.
The home side dominated throughout, but the defensively-minded visitors held out until first half stoppage time when a scrappy own goal off a defender gave the hosts an interval lead.
It was a much better second half, and two goals from Gareth Heath in a two-minute spell midway through cemented AFC's domination.
Further goals followed from substitute Chris Bacon and leading marksman James Rowe who now has only failed to score in one of his last 11 starts.
Manager Mark Morsley made two changes from the side that started against Edgware in midweek.
Defender Brett Girling returned at the expense of Matt Stace while keeper Dean Neil came back after being cup-tied. For Neil it was his final game before starting a five-match ban resulting from an incident when playing for Wivenhoe Town. He will seldom have had a quieter game than this one.
With the pitch looking at its best for some time, a reward for much hard work by the ground staff, a bright, sunny but bitterly cold afternoon greeted the 238 fans.
They saw the home side dominate the first half which looked like ending goalless as the visitors defended in numbers from the start, frustrating the AFC attack, with little getting through to John Hickman in the Waltham Abbey goal.
Rowe forced Hickman into one fine save and Stuart Boardley squandered another good chance when he shot straight at the keeper after being set up by Rowe.
Having survived several goalmouth scrambles the Waltham Abbey luck ran out in first half stoppage time.
Shane Wardley, who had made several penetrating runs out of defence, fed the ball through to Rowe, who crossed low from the bye-line and in the ensuing scramble a defensive clearance struck Steve Mensah and rebounded into the net for a messy own goal to give AFC the lead at the break.
The first quarter of an hour of the second period followed a similar pattern. The visitors survived another goalmouth scramble as they continued to defend in numbers.
On the hour AFC were forced into a change after an injury to midfielder Luke Hammond. Striker Chris Bacon came off the bench and Heath moved back into a midfield role.
The changes had an almost instant impact with Bacon adding a new dimension and Heath looking more dangerous with his runs from midfield.
AFC had been threatening a second goal, and it came after 69 minutes when David Head, having won the ball in defence, made a surging run down the left.
His low cross was dummied by Bacon and picked up by Heath who continued his run before sending a curling shot round keeper Hickman for a fine finish.
Two minutes later Heath was on target again. Rowe chased a seemingly lost cause and did well to cross low into the danger area, where Bacon failed to connect, but Heath pounced on to the loose ball to beat Hickman with a crisp shot for his 11th goal of the season.
Little had been seen of Waltham Abbey as an attacking force, but from a swift counter-attack Marc Sontas did get the ball into the AFC net after 74 minutes, only to find the whistle had already been blown for offiside.
Play was soon at the other end where Rowe flicked over the keeper only for a defender to get back to clear.
Another Waltham Abbey attack was stopped by Neil rushing out of his area to clear from Louis Collins before Rowe won a left wing corner for AFC after 81 minutes and from it David Head sent a header crashing onto the bar.
From the rebound two shots were blocked before Bacon slotted home to make it 4-0.
In stoppage time the hard-working Rowe finally got on the scoresheet. With the visiting defence in disarray Boardley’s cross found the unmarked Rowe, who hammered home his 25th goal of the season to round off a fine team performance, particularly in the second half.
AFC Sudbury: Neil; Driver, Wardley, Hammond (Bacon 61), Girling, D Head, Heath, Clements (S Head 75), Simpson (P Smith 74). Rowe, Boardley. Subs (not used): N Smith, Stace.
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Weather for Sudbury
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
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