BROMSGROVE Sporting cemented their position at the summit of the Southern League Division One Central table with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Aylesbury.
The Rouslers chalked up their third successive league win and fourth in all competitions with an impressive afternoon’s work at the Victoria Ground in front of a bumper crowd of 1,022.
Aylesbury proved to be a tough nut to crack in the opening exchanges and could have gone ahead in the 14th minute but the lively Ryan Young could only curl over after getting in behind the Sporting defence.
Jason Cowley had the first big chance for the hosts in the 24th minute but he could only head over at the near post from William Shorrock’s cross.
However, three minutes later Sporting seized the advantage.
Nick Bennion was quick off his line to clear the ball from Jason Cowley but it landed only as far as Charlie Dowd who beautifully guided home into an empty net from outside the area.
Four minutes later it was 2-0 when Jake Heath’s deflected volley made its way through to Richard Gregory who showed great composure to slide the ball under Bennion to bag his 13th league goal.
Although Aylesbury struggled to test Sporting’s defence, barring winger Young who proved to be a handful, they came close to reducing the arrears seven minutes before the break.
Bruno Brito tried a speculative free-kick from some 30 yards on the near side but Sporting keeper Dan Crane was quick to move across his line and push the ball out for a corner which was subsequently cleared.
Just six minutes into the second half Sporting added their third after a fine individual goal from Dowd.
The former Burton Albion product just ran and ran through the middle of the park before curling home into the far corner.
Left-back James Wilson came close to scoring what would have been the goal of the afternoon but his thunderous effort from distance flew just wide of the far post.
Aylesbury should have pulled a goal back just past the hour mark but Brito could only slam wide from point-blank range after latching on to Young’s dangerous delivery across the face of goal.
That missed chance was punished four minutes later when Cameron Peters was on hand to sweep home from Cowley’s cutback, his final goal in a Sporting shirt as the Walsall loanee returns back to his parent League One club after a three-month spell at the Victoria Ground.
The fifth and final goal of the game came 15 minutes from time when Nathan Hayward was on hand to tap home from close range after getting on the end of Tom Taylor’s header back across goal from Shorrock’s corner.
Report courtesy of Craig Gibbons - Bromsgrove Standard. |