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Chelmsford City 5-0 Slough Town, Saturday 23rd December 2006, Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre, Kick-Off 3:00pm, Ryman League Premier Division.
City will celebrate Christmas Day as the leaders of the Ryman League Premier Division after a thumping 5-0 win at home to Slough Town, thanks in part to a superb brace from Kezie Ibe. His lethal twosome, coupled with strikes from Jeff Minton, Stuart Ainsley and super-sub Jason Hallett saw Jeff King's side run riot in their biggest victory in Melbourne to lift them three places into first place. The Rebels entered the game in trouble with injuries, suspensions and player availability but the Clarets welcomed back Chris Duffy after a one-match ban. However, with Ainsley performing well at left-back the previous week at Harrow, Duffy had to settle for a place amongst the substitutes. Town registered the first effort on goal, an on-target header by Steve Daly from a corner which 'keeper Richard McKinney had no trouble in collecting. This was to be one of only two sights of goal the visitors would get in the first half as Chelmsford dominated. Within the opening 10 minutes, Ricky Holmes volleyed a shot-cum-cross onto the roof of the net and Mario Noto attempted to add to his recent haul of goals with a curved shot well over from outside the box and a run forward which culminated in another long-ranger that bounced into the arms of replacement goalkeeper Lee Farrow. After a quarter of an hour Ibe made the first of his plentiful impressions on the game as he beat-off a defender and struck at Farrow from twenty yards. This was followed by a Minton through ball which the striker tried to lift over the advancing custodian who managed to block. The hosts were firmly in control, with Ibe going-on to execute some step-overs on the edge of the penalty box in the 24th minute before shooting narrowly wide and two minutes later he had the ball nicked away from him but Holmes was on hand to guide an effort a yard over from distance. It was no surprise when City finally went ahead on the half-hour mark. Ibe managed to wriggle away from his marker, brought the ball into the penalty area and eventually poked it wide of Farrow and into the net to break the deadlock. There was no let-up towards the end of the half, with Chelmsford hungry for more goals. Dwain Clarke's left-wing delivery cannoned off the back-tracking Slough man Darron Wilkinson and inches off target while Holmes played a 1-2 and struck the near post with his shot. In-between, a rare slip-up in defence allowed Town's Matt Miller to get through with a clear chance but he dragged his fifteen-yarder at McKinney as Chelmsford entered the interval in-front. Straight after half-time Chelmsford continued their assault on the Slough goal. Holmes burst forward and watched his arrow from twenty-five yards out pushed wide low down by Farrow and, from the resulting corner, Ibe's header towards the far post dropped agonisingly wide. A further Holmes ball across the face of goal in the 57th minute was diverted at the 'keeper and frantically cleared with a second goal on cards. Around the middle of the period Holmes continued to be his usual tricky self on several occasions, providing Noto with the ammunition to fire just wide on the run, but a blow was sustained when Fiston Manuella was forced to leave the proceedings having suffered a foul by Wilkinson earlier on. However, this failed to stem the flow of attacks and in the 68th minute Chelmsford recorded a crucial second. Ibe patiently waited for a sight of goal with the ball at his feet and his well-timed strike hit Minton in the goalmouth who was able to deflect it home. Five minutes later the floodgates began to open, Ibe bringing the ball forward and shooting low into the net from around the edge of the box. Then, with fifteen minutes remaining, the ball sat-up for right-back Jay Conroy whose volley was beaten away by the over-worked Farrow. There were ten minutes left on the clock as the Rebels' goalkeeper was in dire straights with his defence crumbling around him to keep out a succession of close-range efforts after he failed to hold onto an initial strike and the fourth breach of his goal occurred in style on 85 minutes. A Noto free-kick struck the defensive wall but Ainsley picked-up the loose ball thirty yards out and struck a bullet which flew in off the foot of the upright. Having been introduced the the match as a substitute earlier-on, Jason Hallett staked his claim for a future starting place with an 89th-minute finisher, taking the ball round the stranded 'keeper and coolly finishing. In fact, he could have netted his own second moments later in similar circumstances but was denied by the width of the far post. This was a very convincing victory which raised spirit as the Clarets hit top spot for the first time in the campaign. It also made the Heybridge Swifts clash on Boxing Day even more appetising with both sides in the thick of the promotion dogfight. City: 1 Richard McKinney Slough Town: Lee Farrow, Rav Braith, Craig Roberts, Steve Daly, Jon Mills, Michael Daly, Darron Wilkinson, George Moleski, Mark West, Matt Miller, Abbey Nubuga. Subs: Adam Jasnikowski, Andrel Jasnikowski, Leon Woodruffe. Bookings: Slough: Mills (58, foul), Wilkinson (87, foul). Referee: Mr R.T. Atkin (London). Assistant Referees: Mr D. Flanagan (Sandu) and Mr R.A. Mackay (Langford). Attendance: 722. City Man of the Match: Kezie Ibe. |
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By Chris Evans
(Picture by Matt Bradshaw)
