Tigers storm to stage win

The Clubhouse Unwantables 4, Tigers 8

IT TOOK Tigers just seven minutes to seal the first stage of the league title. Any lingering hopes Clubhouse Unwantables might have had of wresting the championship lead from Andy Graham's men were blown away by an explosive opening to what was billed as a clash of the titans.

When the whistle blew for half-time, it was an almost embarrassing 6-0 to Tigers. Unwantables were a poor shadow of the team they could be, hungover from both the previous day's destruction of Mosgrove's Yobbos, and, more importantly, the previous night's farewell bash for Andy Alford.

Several of their players were the worse for wear: it led to slack marking, mistimed tackles and short tempers. Tigers gratefully took control. Already pumped up for the game, they were handed the lead and allowed to stroll through the opposition defence to increase the advantage and when Unwantables finally started competing after the break, they soaked up the pressure with the buffer of half a dozen goals under their belts.

'Unwantables didn't play how we know they can, but we didn't let them. Just about everything went our way in the first half,' said Graham. 'In the second half they came flying at us but we had the luxury of six goals in the bank. That came from our finishing: we were six up and we'd had only about eight shots. Some of our goals were excellent.'

There was none better than their fifth, in first-half stoppage time. A free hit from deep within the Tigers half evaded a half-hearted attempt at an interception and Dave Enevoldsen was clear. The forward surged towards goal and without breaking stride dinked a superb lob over the approaching keeper from the top of the D.

If that was a classy finish, the first owed everything to luck: Mark Jefferies' half-hit strike was heading wide until it caught Nick Mann's stick and looped in.

Straight afterwards it was 2-0: Mark Babbe won possession on halfway, sent Andy Bell through and though Adie Peacegood shepherded him onto his reverse side, Bell still slapped the ball home.

Tigers swamped their opponents whenever Unwantables had the ball. Two, even three challengers were snapping. There was nowhere for the black-and-reds to go. It took until the half-hour before Tigers had to defend a short corner or Jason Robilliard repel a strike at goal.

By that time, Alexis Mansell had slotted home from close range following Jefferies' drive to the right by-line and Bell had converted his second from the spot after Peacegood's foul on Enevoldsen.

Bell completed a first-half hat-trick with another reverse-stick shot from an acute angle after Babbe's shot had been parried.

With nothing to lose, Unwantables tried to restore some pride after the break. Jamie Chambers scored from a slick short-corner routine and Phil Ogier poached a second. He also hit a post after tricky play by Adam Kitching.

Enevoldsen made it 7-2 with a powerful flick into the far top corner only for Alford to deliver a trademark reverse-side goal 15min. from time. Chambers rounded off another short-corner routine, but the scoring was deservedly completed by Bell, who turned in Richard Saunders' inviting cross.