A dominant performance saw Hednesford score three in each half at the Scholars Ground in an emphatic 6-0 victory over Chasetown.
A brace apiece from summer signings Niall Maher and Jamie Cooke either side of the break accompanied by strikes from Aaron Jarvis and scholar Josh Mabbley ensured that the Town began pre-season in magnificent fashion.
The Pitmen took control from the off. Four minutes in, Niall Maher opened his account with a thumping header at the near post following an Omari Sterling-James corner. Ten minutes later, lightning struck twice. Omari Sterling-James whipped a second delivery on to the head of the former Eastleigh defender as Maher doubled his tally with less than 15 minutes on the clock.
The host’s best opportunity came from a set piece of their own with 27 minutes gone, captain Tom Thorley cushioned the ball off to Trialist A, though his effort was deflected wide of Sam Hornby’s goal.
As the clock hit the half hour mark, Aaron Jarvis finished off an incisive move meeting a pullback from Lenni Cirino at the near post to put the Pitmen three to the good.
Come the 40th minute, it could have been four. Cirino turned over possession in the attacking third and played a tantalising cross towards Dan Turner which whistled past him.
HT 0-3
Kelvin Davis rang the changes going into the second half with only Jai Curran-Nichols and Aaron Harper-Bailey remaining from the first half eleven. And only 14 minutes into the half, Jamie Cooke would be on hand to poke a bobbling ball into the far corner giving the Pitmen a much-deserved fourth in slightly scrappy fashion.
There was nothing scrappy about his second strike however. With 79 minutes gone, Akheem Rose slid the former Halifax Town midfielder one on one with Curtis Pond before Cooke swept his effort into the corner with aplomb leaving the Chasetown shot stopper stranded.
Just five minutes before the final whistle, scholar Josh Mabbley rounded Pond before finishing into an empty net, capping off a clinical performance in the sunshine from the Pitmen in their opening Pre-season outing. Hednesford now look ahead to Tuesday as they take on Stratford Town at the Arden Garages stadium.
Hednesford Town;
First Half XI; Hornby, Mottley-Henry, Cirino, Lomax, Maher, Harper Bailey, Gorman,
Curran-Nichols, Jarvis, Sterling-James, Turner
Second Half XI; Parke, Teesdale, Fitzmartin, Curran-Nichols, Hayden, Harper-Bailey, Kinsella, Sharples,
Cooke, Mabley, Rose
Chasetown; Pond, Morgan, Patterson, Trialist A, Trialist B, Cousins, Trialist C, Thorley,
Monteiro, Trialist D, Langston
Subs; Latter, Trialist E, Newman, Clarkson, Trialist F, Gray
Attendance 1126
.
