United Counties League Premier Division South
LUTTERWORTH TOWN 1 ST NEOTS TOWN 3
“Sometimes you have to win ugly” was the concise summing up of Manager, Cameron Mawer after watching his side struggle to beat basement side Lutterworth Town who have yet to pick up a league point this season after six matches. St Neots struggled to find their usual rhythm on a difficult pitch in first half driving rain and will have been relieved to retain their 100% record after an indifferent afternoon in Leicestershire. Even the final scoreline does not replicate the match, for St Neots’ third and clinching goal came six minutes into added time when the home side threw everything forward in the vein hope of a share of the points. With successive matches to follow against two of the pre-season promotion favourites St Neots will need to return to a more confident performance if they are to retain their unbeaten record. With skipper Kyle Lincoln injured and Rav Kalek unavailable, St Neots rested Tom Rowley and included Tommy Reynolds, Dean Dummett and Sam Johnson in their starting line-up.
Neither side looked comfortable in the driving rain in the first half hour, but St Neots broke the deadlock in their first real attack when Sam Johnson rounded his marker to pull the ball back for Harvey Williams to open the scoring after 15 minutes. The home keeper did have to save at the feet of Lorrell Smith and after Nathan George had headed over from a Johnson corner, St Neots began to dominate the attacking play. The home side then levelled the scores against the run of play after 33 minutes when a harsh handball offence against George handed the home side a penalty kick confidently netted by Jack Bonell. Williams shot wide for the visitors and George again headed over the bar but two minutes into first half added time Williams crossed for James Hatch to give St Neots a narrow half time advantage.
Neither side looked comfortable in the driving rain in the first half hour, but St Neots broke the deadlock in their first real attack when Sam Johnson rounded his marker to pull the ball back for Although the weather improved after the break the contest lacked any real continuity with St Neots defensively comfortable but making little attacking headway. After 66 minutes another corner was despatched over the bar by George and the home side lost a player, sin-binned, giving St Neots some numerical advantage and still more possession. Both Williams and substitute Dom Lawless sent efforts over the target and St Neots seemed to be coasting to victory but after 85 minutes the largely unemployed St Neots custodian James Goff had to pull out a top class full-length save to deny Divine Okyere. In the sixth minute of added time with the home keeper joining his attack for a corner, substitute Israel Ajana broke from his own half to outrun the solitary defender and put the ball in the unguarded home net to clinch a welcome but rather pallid, if hard earned victory.
Recent Comments