Hamon suffers most embarrassing half-hour

Vale Rec 0, Bels 6

SIX down after half-an-hour on their home patch at the Corbet Field. No wonder the Vale Rec fans were squirming in their seats, not knowing where to put themselves. Vale Rec first teams don't get hammered, but they did here and honest-as-they-come coach Chris Hamon was the first to admit it at the final whistle.

'That's probably the most embarrassing 30 minutes I've had in 30 years here,' said the former Muratti keeper.

'I was quite pleased to keep it down to six. If we had gone it at half-time 10 or 11 down, we could not have had any complaints.'

Shorn of quality defenders such as Malcolm Symons, James McColl and Jason Sarahs, Hamon paired James Coquelin and Stuart Bisson together as centre backs and they were flanked by Mark Ramsden and Dave Woodhead.

As a combination they were inept and were afforded next to no help by a midfield who had not a ball-winner or worker among them.

'We just didn't turn up for the first 45,' said Hamon.

'You can't afford to give a team a 6-0 start. In the first half we were awful but at least we showed some mettle in the second.'

It was Charlie Pinsard who got the ball rolling for Bels with a 30-yard snorter after just three minutes.

With time to pick his spot, Pinsard drove an unstoppable effort to the right of an outstretched Jody Bisson who was nearly beaten again a few minutes later and this time was culpable.

Twice in the same Bels attack, Bisson came to punch and failed to make contact. Brent Marquand drove goalwards and it was lucky for Rec that there was a defender on the line to block.

On 10 minutes it was 2-0. Marc McGrath cut in from the right and his shot from the edge of the area was deflected in at the near post off a defender.

McGrath chipped against the crossbar, had another shot fly just wide and a third attempt superbly tipped over before making it 3-0 on 25min.

It was his cheeky and skilful flick that set up Joby Bourgaize for the fourth, the first of three in two minutes. Bourgaize headed the fifth in from close range and Marquand side-footed home the last.

Everything Bels tried was coming off. Scott Bradford was brilliant and at the heartbeat of the side, Bourgaize can rarely have been afforded so much space on his flank.

But after the break, the champions were not nearly as precise with their approach play and Micky Ogier was happy enough and sensible in giving run-outs to fringe players and taking the heat off Vale who must have been particularly pleased to see the back of McGrath, young Danny Marquand replacing him and showing himself to be quick and lively.

The second 45 was just about even and Vale, to be fair, might have scored a couple, Marc Rihoy twice going close and Ramsden striking a post.