Royston Town put recent away day disappointments behind them with a thoroughly impressive all round performance against St Ives Town on Tuesday evening.
While this much-improved display may not prove enough to revitalise any late promotion play-off push in Calor League Division One Central, it was great to see the level of football played, the clinical finishing and the solid and confident defending.
Royston saw the welcome return of goalkeeper George Lawton, following injury rehabilitation and a short loan spell, and he went on to complete a clean sheet.
The first half was a scrappy, but competitive affair with chances at both ends with the visitors shading it for quality.
With Royston playing with fizz and tempo an early chance saw Reece Dobson steal the ball, laying in Kaan Fehmi but he scuffed his shot.
St Ives’ best effort of the half saw their persistent striker round Lawton only to be thwarted by a magnificent blocking tackle by the impressive and vocal Ryan Wharton.
Half-chances were created by the Crows all through the first 45 minutes without ultimate success but the vital and all important breakthrough came right on the half-time whistle
St Ives keeper Nick Bennion spilled a high ball under pressure from Joe De La Salle and Scott Bridges prodded home to score his first goal for the club.
Buoyed by this breakthrough, the second half was a totally different game as the Crows’ dominance prevailed and four more unanswered goals were scored to put an emphatic score-line on a ruthless display.
Five minutes in a quickly taken free-kick led to a good cross from Jhai Dhillon that found Ryan Ingrey with his back to goal. He executed a neat spin and first-time shot into the corner of the net.
The game was effectively finished off as a contest by a thumping header from a soaring Luke Robins from a Bridges corner on 67 minutes.
Two minutes later the lively Dobson picked up the ball wide right and drove diagonally at speed towards the penalty box, unleashing a low drive across the goal just inside the post.
The fifth goal put the icing on the cake as on 78 minutes, man of the match Jack Bradshaw got his head to a Ryan Lockett free-kick to glance past the hapless Bennion to complete the scoring.
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