'Moneys' spoil the birthday party

Belgreves 1, Moneyfields 4

THE gulf in class was there for all to see.

Bels' inaugural Hampshire Cup campaign ended at the very first hurdle at the Track on Saturday afternoon and they were well beaten.

Moneyfields' one and two-touch football over-ran the home side for long periods and only when the visitors reacted to going three ahead midway through the second half by making a triple substitution did Ian Champion's men come into the game.

Champion (pictured) praised the visitors for their excellence.

'They've got so much ability and they were able to pass the ball in such small areas that we couldn't get hold of the ball,' said the Bels boss. 'I can't be disappointed in terms of effort levels but in football ability they were well above us without a shadow of doubt.'

Bobby de Ste Croix, one of Moneyfields' joint bosses and, as the name suggests, a man with Jersey ancestry, was happy on many fronts.

'I thought we played some lovely football after a frenetic opening 10 minutes.

'They didn't trouble us much in the first half. It's been lovely coming over here and the hospitality has been absolutely superb.'

Moneyfields have been scoring heavily all season and it was easy to see why.

The likes of right-midfielder Dean Blake, strikers Joe Laidlaw and Jason Prior were classy performers, the former particularly so.