A night of scintillating football at Keys Park saw the Pitmen put eight goals past the visitors Clitheroe, and move up to seventh in the league table.
A fairly even opening quarter of an hour did not signal what was to come. The Pitmen had a couple of corners without causing the visitors many problems while High shot well over the bar for Clitheroe. The game ignited in the 18th minute with a superb freekick taken by Dan Sparkes out on right sailed past Hakan Burton to give the Pitmen the lead. Jack Bearne hit the side netting for the Pitmen before skipper Ellliot Johnson cleared the ball off the line preventing Clitheroe’s Louis Potts from scoring. Hednesford Town doubled their advantage in the 34th minute when Bearne played in an inviting cross for Jake Jervis to tap home at the near post. Three minutes later Dom McHale went on a mazy run in the Clitheroe box, cutting back in from the by-line, beating numerous defenders before slotting the ball into the net to give the Pitmen a three goal lead. Sefton Gonzales shot narrowly over the crossbar for Clitheroe before Bearne just failed to get on the end of Jervis’ cross to the far post.
HT 3-0
The second half was only five minutes old when Jervis broke downfield with the ball, he flicked a pass to McHale who beat his defender and slammed the ball into the net. The Pitmen were now applying relentless pressure on Clitheroe and only had to wait another five minutes for the next goal, this time Jervis forced a good save from Burton only for defender Sam Olawumi to send a looping clearance into his own net. Bearne would be the next on the score sheet producing a tremendous finish from substitute Manny Duku’s cross. The frustration grew on the Clitheroe bench as manager Jimmy Bell received a red card after one too many altercations with the match officials. Zidan Sutherland, on as a substitute for Jervis, had a couple of chances to score, putting one effort just wide and another just over the bar. Bearne made it seven with an individual goal, running in on the left and blasting the ball past Burton in the 86th minute. Two minutes later Duku completed the rout with an excellent finish from the edge of the area. Deep into stoppage time Johnson attempted to head the ball back to Ryan Brown, however the ball sailed over the keeper and into the net to give Clitheroe a consolation goal.
Hednesford Town; Brown, Roberts (Rowe 56), Sparkes (Alamu-Tajudeen 64), Spence, Harrison, Johnson, Trickett-Smith, Holness (Gwilt 56), Jervis (Sutherland 73), McHale (Duku 56), Bearne.
Clitheroe; Burton, Hanson (Connelly 63), Dwyer, Olawumi, Hughes, Hayes-Green, Poilly, High, Gonzales (Splatt 71), Potts (Gill 64), Dent. Subs not used; McConville, Parny
Attendance 778
