Connor on cloud nine as Colts go goal crazy

Royston Town Colts U-15 14 Austen Arrowheads 1

A HAT-TRICK of hat-tricks from Connor Barnard saw the Colts striker take his tally to 50 for the season on Sunday.

The form book suggested an uneven contest, and so it proved, although Colts made heavy weather of the first 20 minutes while Austen, to their credit, battled hard from the start.

Royston finally broke the deadlock midway through the half and it was Barnard who did it, cutting a swathe through the defence and firing home a low drive.

It was the break Colts needed and within two minutes a cross from the bye-line was cut back to Barnard who gratefully tapped in from three yards for his second.

Austen battled on and nearly broke through themselves, but keeper Tom Monti, who had seen little action until then, pulled off the save of the day at full stretch.

Moments later Barnard had his first hat-trick with another powerful strike from the right, followed shortly afterwards by a fine header for his fourth.

Adam Jinkerson then joined in the fun with a superb headed goal and Craig Lucken hit the post before a miserable half for the visitors culminated in an own goal, leaving Colts six up at the break.

Their misery deepened as the second half got under way. Barnard was brought down in the Austen box and Monti was handed a rare opportunity to get onto the score sheet, which he took with a tentative effort that clipped the keeper on its way into the net.

For goal number eight Barnard turned provider for Jinkerson, who grabbed his second of the day with the sweetest of strikes from 15 yards.

Then it was back to Barnard for goals nine and 10 before Monti claimed his second, this time with a with a much more convincing penalty after Jack Tidey was felled inside the area.

A brace of fine headers gave Barnard his eighth and ninth, after which a third penalty handed defender Richard Chapman the chance of his first goal for the club, which he gleefully took via the inside of the left upright.

Austen continued to battle right to the end and grabbed a late consolation, but this was Royston's day, and Barnard's in particular.

Royston Town Colts U-12A 0 Shefford Saints 4

TRAILING by just one goal to the league leaders at the break, Colts had it all to play for in the second half but were generally outplayed and out-thought by the visitors who netted three more times without reply to record a well-deserved win.

It could have more but for a tremendous goalkeeping display from Harry Bracewell, who played on bravely despite sustaining a niggling injury during the warm-up.

Colts' chances were few and far between, the best falling to Lucas Sekobawane after great work by Jack Bailey.

John Middlemass joined the fray in the second half and provided some much-needed momentum but, ultimately, Colts' failure to penetrate Saints' well-drilled defence cost them dear.

Colts: H Bracewell, M Cooney, A Chapman, H Stafford, M Kilroy, M McLean (J Middlemass), J Benstead, J Bailey, S Hunter, C Saggers (S Cooper), L Sekobawane.

Letchworth GCE Yellows U-10 0 Royston Town Colts A 9

JAKE Long blasted four goals as Colts romped to victory at Letchworth.

Colts started this game full of confidence having beaten Letchworth twice already this season and scoring nine goals against them.

The visitors took only five minutes to open their account, as Long went on a mazy run through the Letchworth team, his shot was parried by the keeper into the path of Jordan Campbell who fired the ball home on the half volley from the edge of the box.

Colts' second came from a defence splitting pass from Long through to Matthew Stout who was left one on one with the keeper and coolly slotted the ball underneath the keepers despairing dive.

Royston's third came from a piece of play which has worked well for Colts throughout the season, a long throw-in from Campbell was flicked on by Stout for Long to control and slot into the net unmarked.

The fourth came just before half-time with some route one football.

Letchworth had a throw in which was cleared by Campbell from inside the Colts box over the halfway line and into the path of Reece King who calmly went round the keeper and slotted the ball into an empty net..

Within minutes of the restart Campbell took a long throw-in to Stout whose flick on rebounded off a Letchworth defender and back to his feet, his snap shot brought a good save from the keeper, but Long was again on hand to claim his second of the match.

With Letchworth down to 10 men after a player limped out of the action, Colts then scored four goals through Campbell, King and two from Long.

Al of them were similar in nature as the ball was won on each occasion in midfield after a goal kick, a couple of one two's split open the Letchworth defence and left two Colts attackers through with only the keeper to beat.

Letchworth GCE Oranges 4 Royston Town Colts B U-10 2

COLTS let slip a two-goal lead as they crashed to defeat at Letchworth on Sunday.

The visitors started this game brightly enough with the play flowing end to end in an entertaining and well fought match and Jack Pearce opened the scoring with an excellent strike into the roof of the net from just inside the penalty area.

Another well worked move down the right again involving Pearce claimed a well deserved second when he squared the ball superbly for Bradley Sell to tap the ball in with ease.

Letchworth then pulled one back to make it 2-1 and not long after this were awarded a penalty.

However, Harry Long was on hand to save well and keep Colts noses ahead at half-time.

The second half did not really get going for Colts and they paid the price when Letchworth levelled the scores after Mitch Harness tried valiantly to block a shot but could only deflect the ball into the net.

Two more goals followed to put the match out of Colts reach even though had a number of chances to score themselves, but it was not to be.