Scorers : Lee Wort 10, Barry Mason 26, Byron Mason 39, Dan Miller 60

Date : Tuesday 8th August 2017 - 7:45pm - Sydenhams Wessex Premier

Venue : Universal Stadium

Sholing : Ryan Gosney, Alex Sawyer, Marv McLean, TJ Cuthbertson, Dan Miller, Micky Hubbard (Owen Royl 81), Barry Mason (Bradey Norton 72), Byron Mason [c], Dan Mason, Lee Wort (Connor Kelly 80), Jamie Bulpitt.  Subs not used : Kevin Brewster, Jack Smith

Yellow Card : Alex Sawyer
Red Card : Marv McLean

Baffins Milton Rovers : Tony Male, Jamie White, Josh Dean (Dean Harris 38), Connor Saunders, Shane Cornish, Blu Boam, Harry Wedlake (George Thomas 53), Lewis Stockford, Tyler Moret [c], Joel Jackson (Callum Moses 82), Chaz Gardiner.  Sub not used : Callum Dart

Yellow Card : Stockford & ?

Attendance : 111

Man of the Match : Lee Wort

Referee : Derek Pratt   Assistants : Bradley Pike & Barnaby Taylor

Boatmen gave newly promoted Baffins Milton Rovers a footballing lesson with an excellent performance, scoring 4 goals and creating a host of other chances, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men.

Team News : Marv returned at left back, with Sawyer going to right back and TJ partnering Miller in the middle. Byron went back into his preferred midfield position and Barry was given a start in a three man attack.

Sholing soon opened up the visitors, when on 5 mins, Lee Wort broke free and squared to Dan Mason, who tried to cut back to wrong foot the keeper, with his eventual shot being deflected and palmed away by Tony Male.  Baffins had a their best chance of the game 2 minutes later when their player went clean through, but Gosney closed the angle and spread himself to block.

Boatmen made the breakthrough on 22 minutes with Micky Hubbard threading a ball to send LEE WORT through on goal in the left channel and he coolly slotted it past the keeper.  The ball through a static looking Baffins defence continued to work with Dan Mason the next to capitalise, but with the angle getting tighter he cleverly flicked with the outside of his boot past the advancing keeper, but no Sholing player was near enough to finish as the ball bounced in the 6 yard box.

Sholing were playing some good stuff and deservedly got the second goal on 26 minutes and it was a beauty.  Some slick passing ended with Lee Wort feeding BARRY MASON just inside the box, he checked back onto his right foot and smashed an unstoppable shot across the keeper and into the far top corner.

Micky Hubbard's set pieces were causing the visitors problems and from his corner on 39 minutes, Boatmen grabbed their third.  Hubbard's in-swinger was met by the head of BYRON MASON who guided it into the corner.   It was almost a "Three Masons" when Dan went through a minute later but dragged his shot inches wide. Sholing were enjoying themselves and Lee Wort in particular was giving the right side of Baffins' defence nightmares by repeatedly beating them for pace and skill.

However, all the fun came to a grinding halt a minute before half time.  With the incident almost certainly subject to investigation by the FA & Wessex League, we are unable to go into it here.  Marv Mclean received a straight red card during it all.  HT 3-0

Iain Calder, taking the team in the absence of the Diapes, reshuffled to make it a three man defence with TJ going to the left side.  The first 10 minutes or so of the second half had a slightly uneasy feeling as emotions were still raw, but Sholing remained in control. Baffins were limited to shots that troubled the horse in the fields behind more than Gosney.

On the hour mark, Micky Hubbard made it a hat-trick of assists when his corner to the far post was headed down by DAN MILLER and crossed the line before a defender could get to it.   Lee Wort almost got a second for himself when his low shot almost escaped the clutches of the diving keeper.  

Despite being a man down, Boatmen were still the better and fitter side. Bradey Norton had come on for Barry and immediately go into the action, robbing the last man, but as he tried to go round the keeper, Gary Male just got a hand on the ball.  Norton then beat 3 defenders with a dazzling run, but his shot from 20 yards was straight at the keeper. 

The comfortable win moved Sholing to the top of the Wessex Prem, albeit it very early days of the campaign. FT 4-0

Next Game : Andover Town v Sholing - Saturday 12 Aug 3pm - Wessex Prem
Next Home Game : Sholing v Horndean - Tuesday 15 Aug 7:45pm - Wessex Prem