Saints Break Stubborn Cuckoos Resolve To Increase Lead At The Top

by | Feb 1, 2025 | Match Report, News, Slider | 0 comments

United Counties League Premier Division South

St Neots Town        2          Yaxley         0

On what could prove a significant Saturday, St Neots were the only team in the top five of the league table to pick up a victory to take their lead at the top of the table to eight points. Elsewhere Aylestone Park, March Town and Hinckley all lost, and second placed Rugby Borough were held to a draw. However, the victory over visitors Yaxley was not as straightforward as the final scoreline suggests with St Neots not breaking through until the hour against a stubborn visiting side. The result saw St Neots record their sixth league double of the season as well as extending their goal difference to plus six over their nearest challengers. St Neots’ scorers had both been on the scoresheet in the earlier away league victory over Yaxley in August. Manager Cameron Mawer named an unchanged line up from the previous match despite having regular defender Charlie Bowen back in the squad.

The first half proved to be largely a one-way affair with St Neots dominating possession and the attacking play but lacking the final touch in front of goal.The visiting side suffered the loss of goalkeeper Max Rigby after just six minutes after he had acrobatically saved from Michael Amaeshike, but his deputy Quincey Shorunmu proved a more than adequate replacement with a string of confident saves to deny the home attack. Murphy Culkin saw a shot deflected and then set up Rhys Thorpe whose effort was off target, and despite constant superior possession the home side failed to find a breakthrough. In their first significant attack on the half hour Yaxley midfielder Denys Dushkin saw his effort blocked by a defender and then at the other end the replacement visiting keeper distinguished himself with two saves to deny Connor Furlong who was running riot down the right-hand side. Sam Willis saw his shot deflected and then the lively Kieran Barnes saw his first effort punched clear and second blocked on the goal line by a defender.

More of the same but with better finishing must have been the half time instruction for St Neots, and they responded with Harvey Williams dragging his finish wide after Furlong had rounded his marker. The important breakthrough came just before the hour when a St Neots corner was not cleared, and the hard-working Rhys Thorpe (above left) bundled the ball home from close range.  His reward was to be substituted by Danny Baulk with the visitors reduced to ten men with Fayed Rhaman sin-binned after an exchange of views with the Referee. In a bid to boost their chances the visitors made a couple of attacking substitutions but this afforded St Neots more room and Baulk shot narrowly across the face of goal from a tight angle. Then, after 71 minutes, St Neots sealed their victory when Williams and the excellent Willis combined to set up Michael Amaeshike (right) for his twelfth goal of the season. At 2-0 the St Neots victory was comfortable and there would have been further goals but for two excellent saves by Shorunmu to deny Baulk and Furlong.

 

 

Today’s Saints Supporters’ Man of the Match – In Association with The Greystones Public House, Sawtry – Sammy Willis

 

 

 

 

St Neots:  Goff, Willis, Culkin, Tavernier, Parker, Peters, Furlong, Amaeshike, Thorpe, Barnes, Williams

Subs:  Baulk (for Thorpe 58 mins), Fox (for Williams 82 mins), Bowen, George, and Jessop

Cards:  none

Yaxley: Rigby, Pratt, Robertson, Chivers, Venters, Bilicz, Dushkin, Carder, Smith (K), Rhaman, Smith (J).

Subs:  Shorunmu (for Rigby 6 mins),Turner (for Carder 62 Mins), Watkins (for Bilicz 68 mins), Lilley (for Smith 75 mins), and Baines.

Cards: Bilicz (Y – 61 mins), Dushkin (Y – 89 mins), Rhaman (s/b 58 mins)

Attendance: 339

Referee:  Wyndham Trusler (Kettering)

 (John Walker) 

 

Rank Teams Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Goal difference Points Current form
1 St Neots Town FCSt Neots Town FC 28 21 3 4 79 31 48 66 WWWWW
2 Aylestone ParkAylestone Park 25 16 4 5 64 29 35 52 WLDWL
3 Rugby BoroughRugby Borough 27 16 4 7 57 28 29 52 WLDDL
4 March Town UnitedMarch Town United 26 14 7 5 49 28 21 49 WWLWW
5 Hinckley AFCHinckley AFC 28 14 5 9 62 43 19 47 WWLWW
6 Daventry TownDaventry Town 27 13 6 8 54 44 10 45 WDWLW
7 Newport Pagnell TownNewport Pagnell Town 27 14 2 11 53 49 4 44 DWLWW
8 Eynesbury RoversEynesbury Rovers 26 13 3 10 55 43 12 42 WDWWL