The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
PINCHBECK UTD 3
LUTTERWOTH ATH 0
In-form Pinchbeck United made it five wins from six ChromaSport UCL Division One games with a fine 3-0 victory over promotion rivals Lutterworth Athletic on Saturday.
A quick-fire first-half double from Josh Smith (17 and 20) and another Ollie Maltby strike (60) got the job done for the Knights at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field.
The victory strengthened Pinchbeck’s grip on second place and keeps their bid for back-to-back promotions on track.
Player/boss Ian Dunn shrugged off suggestions his side are direct, calling their performance “simple but effective.”
WELL UP: Nick Bishop wins a header. Photo by JAKE WHITELEY
“I have to be happy with the score,” said Dunn. “The performance could have been better, but I can’t grumble.
“At this time of the season, when the pitches start to turn and the cold weather comes, you just have to find a way to win.
“It’s hard for the teams that try to play football to keep that going at this point in the season.
WELL IN: Liam Ogden battles for the ball. Photos by JAKE WHITELEY
“We are seen by many as a direct team, which is perhaps a little harsh. We assess the situation and decide the best way to go about each game.
“Lutterworth couldn’t handle straight balls over the top and we got in so many times in the first half – we could have scored a few more.
“We were missing two of our better footballers – Andrew Tidswell and Chris Shipley – so it was all about playing to our strengths.
BATTLING FOR THE BALL: Jack Smith on Saturday. Photo by JAKE WHITELEY
“We sat back a little after the break and won pretty convincingly in the end. It was simple, but effective from us really.
“We also handed a debut to Alex Smith in goal. He was very impressive and did everything we asked of him as a goalkeeper.”
Pinchbeck opened the scoring on 17 minutes when Tony Edwards crossed for Maltby, who chested the ball down for Smith to fire home.
DENIED: Ollie Maltby hits the bar from the penalty spot. Photo by JAKE WHITELEY
It was 2-0 three minutes later when Smith raced onto a long ball over the top from keeper Alex Smith and lobbed home.
That’s how it stayed up until the 60th minute, when Josh Smith turned provider for Maltby to notch his 16th of the season.
He almost doubled that tally with a penalty moments later, but it came back off the bar. It mattered little, though with Pinchbeck closing out the clash with few worries.
Pinchbeck: A Smith, A Murrell, Gardner, Jack Smith, Sergeant, Bishop, Buzas, Josh Smith, Ogden, Edwards, Maltby. Subs used: Gordon, Wright. Not used: Kisla, Dunn, Ross.
Attendance: 49.
