ST IVES TOWN 0

WENDRON 3

THREE wins in three games have lifted Wendron into the top half of the Jolly's Combination League.

Away to St Ives Town at the Saltings, Wendron overcame a quiet start to finish convincing winners and might easily have won by a bigger margin.

Due to unavailability the visitors fielded an unusual back four of Sean Johnston, Joe Cooper, Gary Pascoe, and Jamie Wilkes, but after a testing opening period they played with great authority.

Town made all the running at the start of the game and unsettled the visiting defence. It needed a fine save by Bryan Scoffin to keep out an effort from Simon Stevens and then it needed a great tackle by Jamie Wilkes to prevent a goal-bound shot from being fully unloaded.

Wendron slowly began to settle and in the 20th minute took the lead when Gregg Hobbs drilled a diagonal ball to Justin Searle who coolly cut in and slotted the ball past the advancing 'keeper for his sixth goal in three games.

Two minutes later Wendron increased their lead when the home defence failed to deal with a ball from Gary Pascoe. Hobbs burst between two defenders to head the ball past them and then went round the 'keeper to drill the ball into the back of the net.

Four minutes later Wendron almost scored what would have been the goal of the game when Hobbs and Adam Toy worked a one-two. Searle helped the ball on to Adam Toy and laid it into the path of Hobbs who hit a spectacular 20-yard shot just over the bar.

St Ives, when they got forward, looked dangerous on the break and delivered a number of crosses into the box, but pressure from the visiting defence ensured nothing came of them.

The uneven surface proved a problem for both sides and when Mike O'Neill's ball into the box was missed by two defenders, Wendron had two attackers who were also unable to capitalise on the opening after they, too, missed the ball.

The second half saw Wendron enjoy large periods of possession, but came up against a home side who offered little more than spoiling tactics and a lack of ambition to get forward. Johnston's surging runs often had the home side stretched as he became a thorn in their side for the rest of the game.

Wendron's only success of the half came in the 85th minute when David Toy's ball to the far post went out side to Searle who crossed it back into the box. O'Neill's shot was parried, but David Toy was on hand to slam in the loose ball.

"We had a new combination at the back, but I thought they did really well given that they had not played together as a unit," said manager Steve Webber. "We didn't start as well as I would have liked, but we got stronger as the game went on and finished deserving winners."

Wendron: B Scoffin, S Johnston, J Cooper, G Pascoe, J Wilkes, D Toy, A Toy, S Whitney, J Searle, M O'Neill, G Hobbs. Subs: T Harris.