Tubbs hat-trick as Bashley hit five past Fareham Town

Wessex Premier
Bashley FC 5
Fareham Town FC 0

FORMER AFC Bournemouth and Portsmouth FC striker Matt Tubbs rolled back the years with a first-half hat-trick as Bashley defeated Fareham by five goals.

Adam Grange grabbed two as the New Forest side stretched their unbeaten run to 15 games and move four points clear in second to delight the bumper 452-strong crowd.

The Creeksiders tested Bashley keeper Ross Casey early on, but his reaction save kept them at bay. However, that stung Bashley into action, with Grange heading across the face of goal for Tubbs to nonchalantly nod home the opener.

The hosts' second arrived within 60 seconds of the restart when Grange gathered the ball and charged through the defence before driving the ball under the diving keeper.

Bashley were in sizzling form, creating chance after chance until Tubbs struck again when, with uncanny timing, he squirmed high between the jostling bodies and headed home.

With six minutes of the half left, Tubbs completed his treble with a piercing shot from 10 yards through a crowded area.

Four minutes later, and hungry for a fourth, the 37-year-old latched on to a Ben Atiako-Hall assist only to be brought down in the area.

Goal-hungry Grange quickly claimed the ball before dispatching a faultless penalty which gave Bashley a five-goal advantage at the break.

Bashley eased off in the second half, with teenagers Bue Bennett, Marcelo Rossi and Owen Miller given game time.

The Creeksiders upped the tempo, and it took another Casey full-stretch save to keep his unblemished record as Bashley march on.

Bashley: R. Casey, J. Smith, D. Thompson, S. Jackson, L. Aimson, B. Morris, L. Farrugia, M. Tubbs, B. Atiako-Hall, A. Grange, L. Simpson. Subs: S. Thompson, J. Webber, M. Rossi, O. Miller, B. Bennett.