Six-hit Alnwick unbeaten in Combination League

They started brightly and got their reward inside two minutes; Joe Eggleston’s ball hitting Paul Muers in the face before landing at the feet of Alan Wallace who rifled into the top corner on his left foot from outside the box.

The lead was doubled eight minutes later. The visitors tried to play out from a goalkick, Muers pinching the backpass to tap home from close range.

From complete dominance to crumbling, the hosts were suddenly hanging on for half time. Firstly a long ball over the top wasn’t dealt with not once but twice, and the visiting striker was left 1v1 to tuck home from close range. Six minutes later and the scores were level.... in a mirror’s image of Muers’ goal Kirkup overplayed from a goalkick and was caught out.

In another twist, Alnwick went into the break with an unlikely lead. Eggleston was the provider from the left hand side, beating his man and delivering a drilled cross to the back post for Muers to head home past the helpless ‘keeper.

In the second half Alnwick dominated from start to finish. Seven minutes after the break Eggleston’s cross was blocked by a defender’s arm, giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Muers stepped up to complete his hat trick, smashing the ball high into the roof of the net.

Daryll Cooke brought out a superb save from the ‘keeper before Muers added his fourth and his side’s fifth.

There was still time for a sixth, Muers pinching the ball high and again finishing at the second attempt from close range. The striker also forced a great save from the ‘keeper as well as smashing the bar on his left foot. Brandon Mallaburn was the third player to hit the woodwork, hitting the bar after a superb cutback from substitute Felix Wilson.

The away side got a consolation late on, this time from the penalty spot following Wilson’s foul.

The win makes two out of two in their debut season in the NE Combinations League.