New Milton Town keep Wessex League title charge on pace with goals from Barney Stone and Noel Mc-Carthy-Gardiner
Wessex League Division One
Clanfield FC 0
New Milton Town FC 2
NEW Milton Town extended their unbeaten Wessex League run to ten games with a 2-0 win over Clanfield at Westleigh Park.
Goals from Barney Stone and Noel McCarthy-Gardiner did the trick, whilst Elliott Pearce-Eavis made his first start since rejoining the club on Thursday.
The game took a while to burst into life, with the only action of any kind in the first 20 minutes coming via a pop-shot comfortably saved by Ollie Bull and Ollie Mayo firing the ball into the car park from distance.
Top-scorer Stone then made the breakthrough. A high cross from deep looked to be sailing into goalkeeper Aaron Pullin’s hands, but under pressure from Brad Snelling, the ball dropped to Stone, who quickly rolled the ball to the side and fired into the roof of the net.
Despite the lack of action, it was a deserved lead for The Brickmakers – the nickname is the new moniker for New Milton Town after a fan-led consultation. The name was chosen as a nod to the town’s historical links to brick-making, which was made possible due to the large quantities of clay in the local soil.
The only other note of action during the first half was Callum McHale’s bright run down the left-hand side, evading two players before narrowly firing wide of the target.
Stone was also shown a yellow card, although it appeared that he was the one who had fouled.
It would be the second half that provided much of the action. Ollie Bull was forced into an early save via a header from point-blank range, but from that moment forward, only the away side looked like scoring.
On 55 minutes, Brad Snelling received the ball on the left-side edge of the box. He held off one before dribbling past two and then the goalkeeper. He only needed to tap the ball into an empty net, but the Clanfied centre-back came from nowhere to save his team with an incredible last-ditch tackle.
The lead was soon doubled beautifully. A string of passes with 15 minutes to play led to McCarthy-Gardiner taking a touch and another to powerfully half-volley the ball through the goalkeeper’s hands and into the net.
Neither side had chances in the final ten minutes, and the referee’s whistle was music to the ears of those who had made the trip.
Manager Matt Maybury gave his thoughts on the game after full-time: “That felt like a massive three points to back last week’s win against Hamworthy.
“It wasn’t pretty at times, and fair play to Clanfield for that. They matched us up at times and gave us a lot to think about, albeit we never looked like conceding.
“We looked really solid at the back, and with our attacking talent, I always back us to score, and that’s how I feel it went today.”
The victory leaves New Milton Town one point clear in first with a game in hand over second-placed Frimley Green.
Maybury added: “Elliott [Pearce-Eavis] came in and looked superb on his ‘second debut’; and I was delighted for Noel [McCarthy-Gardiner] to get his first goal back since returning. Jack Foden was also superb coming in at the back. I could go through every player.
“We’re now ten unbeaten and have three clean sheets on the trot, so it’s a pleasing run, but we have to take it game by game as we have been doing, and all focus now goes on getting prepared for next Saturday.”
New Milton Town return to action next Saturday afternoon when they travel to 17th-placed Fawley AFC before having three consecutive games at the M.A. Hart Stadium, one of which includes facing Fawley again in the second round of the Velocity Wessex League Cup.
New Milton Town: O. Bull, E. Pearce-Eavis, J. Foden, B. Maybury, L. Moore, T. Colmer, O. Mayo, N. McCarthy-Gardiner, C. McHale, B. Stone, B. Snelling. Subs: C. MacMonagle, C. Smith, H. Thornton.
