Latest victims, Newbury make it United’s eighth in a row

THREE quality goals, including a brace from Adam Morris and a Dan West strike, were enough to bring United their eighth consecutive league win at the expense of Newbury on Saturday, November 29.

Adam Morris who scored two of Thame’s three goals on Saturday against Newbury

After a fairly even opening, United broke the deadlock on ten minutes when Dan West, returning from a short absence, collected the ball on the wide left, made some space, and then delightfully lobbed the keeper, sending the ball into the far corner. Following the goal, Newbury pressed and were rewarded with a number of corners without troubling Cockerill. United for their part had two opportunities to extend the lead, with a Luke Ricketts header dropping on to the roof of the net on 16 minutes, before skipper Morris put West through on 21 minutes. With just the keeper to beat though, the in-form striker lost his footing.

For the remainder of the half it was Newbury who enjoyed the majority of possession and the equaliser arrived in bizarre circumstances on 39 minutes. A cross field ball in to the box saw Cockerill come off his line towards the edge of his box, with the ball then ricocheting off his legs to Ellis Hercules, whose attempted clearance came back off Newbury striker Richie Guy and in to an unguarded net.

It was, at the time, perhaps no less than Newbury deserved, but United came out with renewed vigour at the start of the second half. The first opportunity came to Dan Jones on 54 minutes who was unable to get his shot away when well-placed before, on 60 minutes, West was again put through for a one-on-one with Waller saving well. A minute later and Ricketts was adjudged off-side when well placed before, on 65 minutes, the same player did well to manoeuvre space for an effort from six yards that the keeper pushed away.
On 78 minutes United were eventually rewarded for their endeavour when Morris hit an unstoppable shot from 25 yards that beat Waller and went in off the underside of the bar. If that was good, better was to come five minutes later when Morris, this time fully 40 yards from goal, received the ball and spotting Waller had come off his line, hit a powerful effort on a low trajectory that the retreating Waller was unable to stop.

At this point it was game over and, although Newbury then enjoyed a lot of possession, they were unable to penetrate a well organised home defence.

United:
Cockerill, Evans, Hall, Hercules, Coverley, Lynch (Kedzierski), Jones (Connelly), Morris, Gray, West, Ricketts (Hodgkins)

SOURCE: Contributed by Jake Collinge