MERLEY COBHAM SPORTS 8

BALTI SPORTS 1

EASTER Saturday was fruitful for Merley Cobham Sports as they trounced Balti Sports 8-1 in the Dorset Premier League.

Merley dominated proceedings from the start and Balti had to be grateful to keeper Harrison Wallis in the third minute who did well to save from the dangerous Awwal Abubakar.

After some concerted pressure, Merley took the lead in the 12th minute when Diego Galusni found Perry who stroked the ball home confidently.

Cobham always looked dangerous, their high press giving Balti some problems and Wallis was in action again in the 19th minute saving well from Abubakar.

READ MORE: Bournemouth Sports 2-3 Balti Sports - report

But Cobham went two up on 24 minutes, good play between Abubakar and Adam Hall saw the latter finish off a fine move.

That man Hall was in the action again in the 31st minute scoring a really well taken goal after Charlie Shears found him on the edge of the box. Shears picked up an injury and was replaced by Owen Reynolds and the languid striker should have done better in the 35th minute but he struck his shot wide.

Cobham came out of the blocks quickly in the second half and with barely a minute on the clock Hall claimed his hat-trick, Kingsley Eze-Sunday was found down the right, his crisp cross was hit first time by Hall from the edge of the box giving Wallis no chance in the Balti goal.

Five minutes later, Merley went 5-0 up when Abubakar beat his man, crossed and Eze-Sunday steered home.

Immediately Balti clawed a goal back when Jack Summers received the ball out wide and his speculative cross went over the despairing Andy Knights’ head into the far corner of the net.

Merley went to the bench to introduce some fresh legs and they maintained their intensity, Reynolds brought the best out of Wallis in the 68th minute, catching the keeper off his line but Wallis stretched well to parry the ball over the bar.

However, Cobham scored their sixth just a minute later, Eze-Sunday breaking down the right, crossing for Abubakar to finish easily at the far post.

On one of Balti’s rare threats on goal in the 72nd minute, Stef Stavrianos saw his 25-yard free-kick crash off the crossbar with Knights well beaten.

James Cherrett entered the fray and gave even more pace down the right flank and his superb cross in the 74th minute was finished off well by Edwards to make the score 7-1.

The scoring was wrapped up in the 81st minute when Perry was fouled some 22 yards out on the angle, he stepped up to hit an excellent free-kick into the far corner.

Merley had further chances with Cherrett’s quickly-taken shot on the run shaving the far post and Abubakar crashed a 20-yard free-kick onto the bar but the ball rebounded to safety.