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Poor Lions left whimpering by rampant Town

Northampton Lions 2nd XI  1  Coalville Town 2nd XI  5

BodyKraft 2nd XI East Midlands Premier Division

Town’s 2^nd X1 surged back to winning ways in Moulton as they turned in a superb display of pulsating hockey to destroy a poor Lions side by 5 goals to one.

Playing with the sun at their backs, Town started off like an express train immediately forcing their opponents onto the defensive. With Stuart Jobburn again in control in midfield,  desperate home defence and some early missed chances kept the score down and it was surprising that it took Town 17 minutes to get their first goal, but when it came, it was worth waiting for. 

A seriously under the weather Niki Arnold picked up the ball on the right of midfield and with no sign of support decided to go it alone. He tricked his way across the pitch and into the home circle but was driven out to the left, however just when he was about to be pushed over the dead ball line, he unleashed an angled reverse stick shot which slammed into the net via the keepers pads. 

Five minutes later they went two up when a strike from Brent Clamp was beaten out only for the ball to fall to Scott Meadows who returned it with interest. Further pressure brought more missed chances but they should have made it three after 27 minutes when they were awarded a penalty flick when a home foot stopped a goal bound shot however Arnold ’s strike was well saved by the keeper. 

Town took their foot off the pedal towards the end of the half, but the home side’s attacking raids were easily thwarted by a commanding Town defence with Ian Wright and Carl Marshall at it’s heart.

Town started the second half as they did with the first with Darren Conway on the right and Clamp on the left playing their part in the midfield domination, and with Meadows and Aiden Spilsbury pouring more trouble onto the home defence, it didn’t take long before they made it three, and again it was a superbly constructed solo effort. 

On 48 minutes, Spilsbury pounced on the ball on half way and with no visible support in close attendance, went on a run slicing through the home defence leaving five players in his wake ending as he calmly rounded a floundering keeper to slot the ball into an empty net. 

Then, one minute later and before the home side could muster any defence, Town sewed up the game when Conway picked up the ball via Meadows and Jobburn to make it four. It was virtually one way traffic now as Glen Marston and Steve Partner put the width on the side as they went forward looking for a fifth, but it was the home side that scored next when a breakaway caught everyone out giving Adam Johnson in the Town goal no chance. 

Although Lions tried to rally a bit after this, Town’s defence, with both Wright and Marshall giving a five star show at the back, dealt efficiently with everything that came at them, so much so that Johnson was a virtual spectator for most of the game.

Once the final home threat was blunted as a final act of Town superiority, further chances falling to Meadows, Arnold and Spilsbury all went begging until Jobburn crowned a man of the match performance with a coolly taken goal which exemplified his overall play as he tortured the opposition from start to end. 

Picking up the ball just outside the 23 metre line, he sliced his way through the home defence like a knife through butter stopping only to delay his pass in the dee, then draw the keeper and coolly slip the ball though the advancing keepers legs.

Another superb all round team performance from every player as their speed, skill and accurate ball distribution destroyed a poor Northampton side. However they made and took their chances well, and although they won’t meet such a side many times in a season, this performance keeps them in touch with the top as they wait for the leaders to make a mistake.