Robins Hit 7
5th October 2024: Knowle 7-0 Lane Head
Having scored six goals away at Inkberrow last Saturday, The Robins went one better at home to Lane Head. After a slow start, the home side dominated the whole match, so much so that the visitors could not manage a single shot on or off target.
With the Hampton Road pitch in perfect condition (a tribute to Groundsman David Ratcliffe), the playing surface suited The Robins style of play. The U6 Bobcats, mascots for the day, were treated to a goal fest.
Lane Head did spring a surprise by lining up in a three, five, two formation. It did occur to me that with just three at the back, they were leaving themselves open to the fire-power that is the Knowle forward line. As the match progressed, this proved to be the case. They swiftly changed to four, then five, at the back. But it made little difference, the front men in red were having a field day. If you leave players of the calibre of Barnes, Craine, and Hague unmarked in the six-yard box, you are asking for trouble. And trouble was what they got! This is not to mention the artful skill of Parsons, Toby Scott and Joe Drake-Cervantes.
The Knowle mid-field were in total control for the whole match. The vast majority of the match took place in the visitors half. The home players took full advantage and bagged a hat full of goals.
One strange fact however, was that there were very few fouls committed, only four by The Robins, and nine by Lane Head. It was an easy match for the Officials.
Knowle opened the scoring, following a fierce run through mid-field by Zak Parsons, riding a foul before passing to Odane Barnes to hit the net with a perfect shot between ‘Keeper and post.
Four minutes later, Brandon Hague hit a screamer from twenty six yards to double the score.
It took another six minutes for Tom Craine to be brought down in the area and win a penalty. He picked himself up to make it three.
Not to be outdone, Zak Parsons pounced on a loose ball close in to chalk up number four.
In the second half Knowle managed to score three more. Substitute Callum Burston-Keeley made it five. Barnes rounded things off with two late goals to make the tally seven. His final goal came from a peach of a cross from the left by another substitute Anton Powell, which the forward only needed to present a head for the ball to fly home.
This was a comprehensive victory, and emphasised, if emphasis was needed, that the gulf between the top few teams and the bottom few teams in MFL Division Two.
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Knowle FC: Slater; C Scott; Joe Riddiford (Record); Clarke (c) (Powell); Dudley (c); Drake-Cervantes (Stone); Craine [32p] (Burston-Keeley [57]); T Scott; Hague [26] (Purves); Parsons [40]; Barnes [22; 81; 89]
