Merlins Bridge 3
Hakin United 1

Three second half goals from Marcus Taylor, Mike Canton and player/manager Matthew Price saw Merlins Bridge return to winning ways with a hard-fought victory over a depleted Hakin United side.

The Bridge looked anything but title hopefuls in the first period. It was the Vikings who led by a single goal at half-time, when Leigh Broome sent a free kick into the box and a deflected ball fell just right for Josh Youds to tuck the ball past Ian Kerrison in the home goal after 16 minutes.

Both sides had clear-cut chances before this as Steve McNabney missed a simple close-range header from a Price cross for the Wizards, while Terry Bevan was unable to score from an equally straightforward chance at the other end as he placed his shot straight into Kerrison’s clutches.

Towards the end of the period, there were other chances as McNabney fired a long-range effort over the bar for Merlins Bridge and Hakin skipper Paul Jones forced a good save from Kerrison with a left-foot drive.

The Bridge looked far sharper after the interval and levelled matters in the 46th minute. Good work by Matthew D’Ivry earned a free kick which Simon Thomas sent into the danger area. Marcus Taylor reacted quickest to find the net past Steve Hartley.

Good work on the left by brothers Peter and Simon Thomas allowed Mike Canton to score Bridge goal number two, as the striker turned well and fired a left foot shot low into the net.

The Bridge made the game safe when Canton and D’Ivry combined on the right to send Price away on a one-on-one chance with Hartley – and the Wizards’ player/manager showed his nose for goals as he netted with ease.

Paul Jones had a goal disallowed for offside but the Bridge always looked more likely to score again as James Skudder came on for Peter Thomas and made a promising debut with his pace and control – but there were no further goals. In the final analysis, the Bridge’s title hopes were placed safely back on the rails.

Merlins Bridge: Ian Kerrison, Matthew D’Ivry, Paul Thomas, Chris Ormond, Haydn Ralph, Peter Thomas, Marcus Taylor, Simon Thomas, Mike Canton, Matthew Price, Stephen McNabney. Subs: Nathan Thomas, James Skudder, Ashley Prior, Matthew Morrissey.

Hakin United: Steve Hartley, Leigh Broome, Ewan Findlay, Kristan Bennett, Chris Milich, Terry Bevan, Scott Davies, James Stanmore, Scott Reynish, Paul Jones, Josh Youds. Subs: Bruce Whisby, Gary Dawes.

Referee: Jonathan Twigg.