Seasiders hit for six by FC United

By Staff Copy
UniBond League Division One North

Published Date: 30 August 2007

FC United of Man’ 6
Bridlington Town 0

After the previous Wednesday's defeat against Harrogate, Bridlington Town fans travelled to Bury's Gigg Lane ground wary that a similar performance could bring dire consequences against a team eager to get off the mark after two straight defeats in their opening games at UniBond level.

They were proved horribly correct, as Town produced an abject surrender in front of a 2253-strong crowd, in which the home side could have run up a cricket score but for some wasteful finishing and showboating from their front men in the second half.

The Seasiders' 3-5-2 formation played into the hands of a pacy home attack, whose simple tactic of the long diagonal ball over the top undid a shapeless Town defence time and again. Yet again, Town fell to an early goal, with lethal marksman Rory Patterson allowed far too much time to turn inside the 18-yard box to bury a crisp shot past 'keeper Chris Hill.

FC were even at this stage, totally in control, and with strike partners Stu Rudd and Jerome Wright allowing Patterson the freedom of the 18-yard box in which to ply his trade, the frontman grabbed his second on 23 minutes. Town simply could not gain a foothold in the game, with Tom Greaves isolated up front with little support. Skipper Pete Naylor was again a commanding figure in the Town midfield, but could count on few allies to stick their heads above the parapet in his battle against a rampant home side. Surprisingly the scoreline remained at 2-0 going into the second half, but with a couple of mystifying subsitutions further disrupting any game pattern Town had managed to establish, they fell further behind on 64 minutes, with Patterson again finding acres of space courtesy of Wright's measured through pass to fire home from close range.

Neil Towler had looked one of very few positives out on the left flank for Town, and had given full-back Matt Taylor plenty to think about, but with his withdrawal shortly before the strike, Town appeared to have effectively waved the white flag.

United continued to pour forward against an overworked Seasiders' defence, and Patterson struck again on 75 minutes, although the ball appeared to have taken a final touch on its way into the net off Town centre-back Lee Harper.

There was still plenty of room in the locker for United to heap more misery on the wretched visitors, and Rudd again had a large say in the fifth goal on 83 minutes, as his clever lay off found substitute Anthony Hargreaves, who notched his first goal for FC with a well placed low shot from the angle of the six-yard box.

Rudd was then guilty of playing to the gallery, as Patterson's pass found him free on goal almost on the penalty spot, but with the home fans simply waiting for the net to bulge, he chose to chip extravagantly over Hill and sent the ball over the bar.

It mattered little, as on 88 minutes, United wrapped up an afternoon that any Town fan present will want to erase swiftly from their memory with the sixth from a penalty, as Hargreaves' run on goal was unceremoniously halted by Harper, and Taylor helped himself to a rare goal by blasting the spot kick high and wide past Hill.

Town's day was summed up on the stroke of full time, when the only real chance created throughout the entire match fell to an unmarked Harper at the far post, who could only direct his header from Wayne Harratt's fine lay-off against the woodwork.

Town: Hill, Bonarius, Harper, Stoneman, Giblin, Rouse (Harratt 56) Towler (Bradshaw 63) Naylor, Berry, Greaves, Lackie (Dexter 75).

Last Updated: 27 August 2007 10:11 AM