Jack’s the lad for Colts

Royston Town Colts U-12 A 9 Letchworth GCE Blue 0

HAT-TRICK hero Jack Bailey topped the bill in this emphatic win with Lucas Sekobawane and John Middlemass chipping in with a brace of goals each to wrap up a fine performance for Colts.

Colts dominated the early play, but just as it seemed Colts might not score, up popped Sekbawane to break the deadlock.

Hall made it two soon after and Bailey completed the first half scoring with a determined run and cool finish.

There was no let up for the visitors in the second half, Bailey helping himself to his second with a classy chip over the advancing keeper.

Middlemass made it five with a fierce drive off the foot of the post, and Eagles were unlucky to concede a sixth from a massively deflected strike from Hall.

Another Middlemass bullet put Colts seven up after good work by Sam Hunter, and Hall unlucky not to notch his second after his well-struck shot hit the base of the upright.

Bailey then completed a fine personal performance with his third of the game and 12th of the season.

Sekobawane was then on hand to finish what he started with his second and Colts ninth of the day to wrap up their best win of the season.

Colts: H Bracewell, M Cooney, S Cooper, A Chapman, S Hunter, J Benstead(c), J Middlemass, J Bailey, C Saggers, J Hall (L Sekobawane)

Royston Town Colts U-12 3 Potton Colts 0

GOALS from Jacob Leighton, Jake Booth and Ellis King gave Royston victory on Sunday.

With the wind and rain blasting their opponents' faces, Town pressed forward from the kick off, winning a free kick outside the box within the first minute.

A sound strike from King just missed the target. Potton failed to clear the resultant goal kick, Booth won the ball and slotted it to Leighton whose shot from close range was somehow blocked by a defender on the line.

With Brennan and Sartini first to the ball in midfield, Town kept the pressure on the Potton goal, with Booth narrowly missing with a fine header.

The breakthrough came moments later when Town won another clearance that fell to Leighton just outside the box. This time he found the target to put Town in the lead.

Potton seldom broke out of their own half and when they did either Louis Townsend or Martin Green were on hand to shut the door down the middle.

With Hunter and Anderson cool and composed on the flanks it was proved to be a tough first half for Potton.

Town continued to bombard the visitors' goal with thunderous strikes from King forcing good saves from the keeper. Suddenly from a melee just on the left, Jake Booth fired a rocket low and straight past a stranded keeper to put Town 2-0 up.

At the break with the elements now driving against them, a two goal lead did not feel sufficient. However for the first time since Christmas, Royston started the second half awake and determined.

Indeed Town pressed forward against the driving rain to win a free kick. It was sweetly struck by Booth and a clever last minute duck by Townsend nearly fooled the Potton keeper.

Shortly after that Kieran Willis-Wright fired a low shot in form the right that was blocked by the Potton left back. The ball was collected and slotted home by s King to wrap up the scoring.

Stevenage Borough Reds U-10 1 Royston Town Colts A 1

THIS was the usual bruising encounter for Colts against a team they have generally got the better of over the last few seasons.

Some good football was played throughout by both and the first half brought end to end football.

Borough took the lead after some good build- up play down the right, which brought a quality cross to an unmarked player in the Colts box, who was able to tap the ball home to take the advantage.

Royston continued to press for the equaliser for the remainder of the half but did not really create any clear cut chances.

The second half saw Colts take the game to Borough and a number of excellent chances were created with Reece King and Jake Long working well but unable to make the most of the chances when they presented themselves.

Matthew Stout also saw two excellent strikes from outside the box the first just over the right corner of the bar and the second with his left saved well by the Borough keeper.

Eventually Colts were rewarded for all the hard work and pressure when the ball was cleared to Jordan Campbell on the edge of the box, and he fired home through a crowd of players and underneath the keeper.

The visitors were now playing some excellent football and were unlucky not to take the lead when Long broke down the left and passed a great diagonal ball between two Borough defenders, but in the wet conditions the ball just skidded past the onrushing King by centimetres who was free in the box.

Stevenage Borough Blues U-10 0 Royston Town Colts B 5

THIS was by far Colts best game of the season seeing off a very good Borough side.

The players moved the ball around the pitch superbly and worked really hard for one another to secure an excellent victory.

Daniel Goodfellow opened the scoring after a well worked move involving George Wheeler-Bailey and Bradley Sell.

An own goal soon followed when Sell took a corner which flew through a number of players and came off the legs of a Borough player at the back post.

In the second half Borough worked harder to push Colts back, but Mitch Harness and Ryan Seekings worked well in defence to snuff out any chance that arose and cleared the lines well.

Goodfellow scored his second after a quality cross from Sell on the right allowed him time to control the ball and fire home low into the corner of the goal.

Sell then grabbed himself a brace, the first came from a Jack Pearce cross which caused panic in the Borough defence when they were unable to clear the ball, and Sell was on hand to poke a shot into the net unchallenged.

His second came after another goalmouth scramble, but he kept his head and calmly slotted the ball home to wrap up a convincing victory, which saw Colts move into fourth place in the league.