The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Pinchbeck United 6
Stewarts & Lloyds 0
Resurgent Pinchbeck United rediscovered their winning touch with a dominant 6-0 victory over ChromaSport UCL Division One basement boys Stewarts and Lloyds on Saturday.
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats against Olney Town and Sleaford Town ahead of the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field clash, Pinchbeck looked full of confidence and led 2-0 at half-time thanks to a double from player/boss Ian Dunn (17 & 20).
Tom Sergeant’s first goal of the season made it three on 50 minutes, before Tom Brooks (53) put the game to bed for the Knights.
Leading scorer Ollie Maltby added a late double (77 & 79) to give the scoreline a more one-sided feel – something that assistant boss Allan Ross had demanded.
“We told the boys beforehand that we’re fed up of feeding them with a silver spoon,” said Ross. “We needed a reaction from them out there – and we’ve probably been too soft on them this season.
“I don’t think we’ve ever lost two games on the bounce while I’ve been at Pinchbeck. I’ve been upset for the last few days as a result.
“To be honest, I think we’d have beaten anybody today – because the lads were on it. And they had to be because, and I’ll be brutally honest, some lads were in danger of being shown the door.
“But, it was a good performance. I felt we took our foot off the gas by half-time, so I told the lads to go out and get another four goals – and make the result look a good one.
“I felt sorry for them as they arrived here with just 12 men, but nobody felt sorry for us in the last few games.
“I thought we had some steady performances across the board and were quite creative at times.”
After a fairly low-key start at the Sir Halley, Dunn half-volleyed Pinchbeck’s first opening over on ten minutes, before Maltby looped a back-post header just off target.
The breakthrough arrived soon after, with Dunn racing onto a superb outside-of-the-foot pass from Brooks to finish clinically when one-on-one.
It was 2-0 moments later when Dunn collected a Tyler Wright cross and fired a deflected left-foot strike in off the inside of the near post. Maltby smashed home on the line just to make sure.
Josh Smith was unlucky not to make it three goals in five minutes for the Knights when his 20-yard effort cracked the post of went wide, while Andrew Tidswell fired a long-ranger just over moments later.
The woodwork was rattled again when Maltby expertly lobbed the keeper from the right side of the box, only for the ball to come back off the angle of post and bar.
The chances kept on coming, with Dunn heading a decent opportunity for his hat-trick just wide at the back post following a deep Tidswell corner.
S&L did have their moments, though, with Ricky Lovelace forced to save well at the feet of a striker who would surely have scored otherwise.
Pinchbeck felt their advantage should have been extended to 3-0 at half-time when Sergeant turned home a rebound following Dunn’s angled drive, but the offside flag was up.
Smith rippled the side netting early in the second half after a quick throw from Dunn and a lay-off from Maltby, but the Knights didn’t have to wait long for their third goal.
It was right wing back Sergeant who found some space at the back post and saw his drive go in via the woodwork five minutes into the second period.
Three minutes later it was 4-0. Tidswell’s low drive was saved by the keeper’s legs, but his follow-up header was diverted into the net by a glancing effort from central defender Brooks.
Some lovely interplay involving Dunn, Wright and Tidswell almost culminated in the latter making it 5-0, but his goal-bound effort from a Sergeant cross was nodded off the line.
Smith then came alive, as his curling effort whistled just wide of the far post before a mazy run and great cross was somehow dragged wide of the post by Brooks from close range.
The fifth goal finally arrived when sub Fabio Ramos went on a clever run and fed Maltby, who swept home a cool finish.
Top scorer Maltby doubled his money two minutes later, blasting home from close range after Luke Gardner turned Tidswell’s cross onto the near post.
Corey Kingston came off the bench to draw a smart save as Pinchbeck continued to push on, before the same player glanced a header from Wright’s whipped cross just wide.
The sub then sent an effort just wide of the far corner, while Dunn blazed a 25-yarder over as he looked to complete his hat-trick.
Pinchbeck could easily have helped themselves to double figures as Tidswell also lobbed over later on, but 6-0 was the perfect way to build confidence after two damaging defeats.
Dunn added: “The manner of the victory was very pleasing – the tempo and movement was there.
“The stuff that hasn’t been there in the last few weeks was back. On the playing side, as a forward, it was an enjoyable game to be involved in.
“I think 6-0 flattered them in the end and we were a little wasteful and let them off the hook a little bit.
“Of course, 6-0 is great and you’ll take it. But we don’t want to get into that habit of missing loads of chances in future games.”
Pinchbeck: Lovelace, Sergeant, Gardner (Kisla 80), Tidswell, A Murrell, Brooks, Josh Smith (Kingston 75), Buzas (Ramos 71), Maltby, Wright, Dunn. Not used: Jack Smith, Ross.
Attendance: 51
