Gunners returned to league action with a low key 6-2 win over bottom club Elm Park Faithful. The Gunners players generally looked short of match sharpness for the first ten minutes after having not played or trained for a couple of weeks and it took some time before the team got their passing game going.
Gunners did make the breakthrough when Ian Thornhill turned a defender and layed the ball back to Dave Owen who fired home the opener. Dave then added a second after a break from defence, the ball was played to Paul Clark who provided Dave Owen with a pass to rifle the ball home again.
Paul Clark then added a third to make the scoreline comfortable. Gunners also had a couple of close chances from Nick Burrows and Sean Kearns.
In the second half Gunners stepped up the pressure and further goals were added through Dave Owen and Kevin Rapley. Nick Burrows was unlucky not to score when he hit the bar again. Towards the end of the game, Gunners became complacent and conceded two goals to sour the win a little.
Elm Park scored their first from a long range effort and then added a second when Gunners lost possession in midfield and the Gunners defence were caught napping when the Elm Park striker slotted home from an angle.
Paul Clark did add his second of the game with a close range header to make the final score 6-2 to Gunners. Despite the win, the team were disappointed with their overall performance particularly at the start and end of the game. However, the team were more than capable of beating the opposition and more importantly added 3 more points to keep the pressure on Southbank Reserves. Gunners "Man of the Match" went to Dave Owen for his three goals and tireless display.
Match Facts
MOM : D Owen
Goals : D Owen (3), K Rapley (1), P Clark (1), Own Goal (1)
Team : (GK) F McNaughton, (RB) P Byrne, (CB) Pa Ali, (CB) S Kearns, (LB) T Poacher, (RM) N Burrows, (CM) D Owen, (CM) P Clark, (LM) D Fry, (F) K Rapley, (F) I Thornhill, (Subs) J Weller, L Holdway
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