Scorers : Lee Wort 26, 48, 88, Rory Wood 32, Jamie Bulpitt 60, Own Goal 72

Date : Saturday 30 December 2017 3pm - Sydenhams Wessex Premier

Venue : Universal Stadium

Sholing : Ryan Gosney, Kevin Brewster, Owen Royl, Duncan Brown, Dan Miller (Harry Butler 44), Jack Smith [c], Alex Sawyer, Rory Wood (Frazer McLean 66), Lee Wort, Marlon Mason, Jamie Bulpitt.  Subs not used : Dan Mason, Owen Roundell, Jamie Bray

Yellow Card :  Alex Sawyer

Petersfield Town : Luke Eaton [c], Matt Malin, Josh Sheeman, Harry Tremlett, Nick Tayler, Jordan Geddes, Gavin Keogh (Sam Neal 77), Luke Walker, Billy Connor, Luke Kendall, Will Essai.  Subs not used : Ryan Kennedy, Indy Thomas, Matt Collins

Yellow Card :  Matt Malin

Attendance : 111

Man of the Match : Lee Wort

Referee : Adrian Cook  Assistants : Colin Hopkins & Eilidh Currie

Lee Wort smashed a hat-trick as a much changed Sholing defeated bottom of the table, Petersfield Town.  The 6-0 scoreline copied the result in the match at Love Lane, earlier this season.

Team News : Byron & Marv were suspended, TJ, Castle & Ramdin on Holiday and with Dan Mason nursing a knock, it meant many changes required by Dave Diaper, who included 5 players who started the season with the Development Squad.

Leading the team out for the first time, was Jack Smith, onto a Universal Stadium pitch that had held up pretty well after recent heavy rain. Sholing were immediately on the attack, with Jamie Bulpitt putting over an inviting left wing cross to the far post, where the arriving Marlon Mason couldn't keep his effort down.  With Petersfield playing with a high line, it invited the Boatmen to put balls in behind, with Lee Wort & Marlon Mason both exposing the lack of pace in the defence.  On 20 mins, Lee Wort appeared to get a clumsy kick from behind in the box, but the referee waved play on.

Sholing broke the deadlock on 26 minutes as, once again, a long ball over the top allowed LEE WORT to run into the right side of the area, he checked back onto his left foot and from the edge of the 6 yard box, he lashed a shot that was too powerful for the keeper to stop as it deflected off him & into the net.

Four minutes later, it was 2-0 as Lee Wort put a clever reverse pass into the middle of the box for RORY WOOD to run onto, his first time effort was parried by the keeper, but only to the side where Rory hit it on the half volley with a controlled finish into the empty goal.  It was the young striker's 5th goal in just 9 first team appearances.

The remainder of the first half was mostly played in the Petersfield half, with the visitors attacks limited to wayward shots that didn't trouble Gosney.  Just before half time, Dan Miller limped off injured to be replaced by Harry Butler for his league debut. HT 2-0

Boatmen only had to wait 3 minutes after the restart to get their third goal, when Marlon Mason did well to break past the full back and whip in a low cross that evaded the defence and found LEE WORT who from 12 yards, steered a first time shot inside the near post.  Wort was tormenting the Petersfield defence and almost scored a brilliant goal when he beat two men inside the box, flicking the ball over the head of the last defender, but his effort just skewed wide.

Sholing were keeping possession well and on the hour mark, rounded off a passing move with a lovely goal. JAMIE BULPITT exchanged passes with Rory Wood on the edge of the box, shifted the ball into space and hit a left foot shot that left the keeper rooted to the spot as it flashed into the net.

Frazer McLean came on for this League debut as Sholing continued to look like scoring every time we went forward. However, it was Petersfield who put the ball in the back of the net next, although sadly for them, via an own goal.  On 72 minutes, Alex Sawyer fired in a cross from the left flank and under pressure from Lee Wort, Jordan Geddes, facing his own goal, connected first time and from 10 yards, the ball flew off his boot into the roof of the net for a spectacular OG.

To the visitors credit, they never let their heads drop and with the game free of incident, it allowed the Referee to go almost unnoticed and keep the play flowing. The match was rounded off with a deserved hat-trick for LEE WORT. On 88 minutes, Sawyer crossed low from the left and Wort got to the ball just before the keeper, dinking it past him and tapping into the empty net. 

The win extended Sholing's unbeaten league run to 13 games and 18th clean sheet of the season.  Once again, the younger players who came in all looked at home at this level and will no doubt get more opportunities to shine in the new year.  FT 6-0

Next Game : Hamworthy United v Sholing - Saturday 6 Jan 3pm - Wessex Premier

Photos courtesy of Ray Routledge (click an image to enlarge)