Jake’s super hat-trick sets up Castletown’s six-goal cruise
Last updated 11:49, Wednesday, 24 September 2008
CASTLETOWN White’s superior passing and finishing produced a dominant win, as they brushed aside a young Dalston team.
Castletown were on top from the beginning, with Matthew McNaughton and Liam Robley causing problems for Dalston down the right-hand side.
Dalston weathered the storm for the first 10 minutes, but Adam Howey’s header from a perfectly weighted Tim Clasper cross broke the deadlock.
The second was added instantaneously and what a sublime goal. The architect Clasper chipped a 30-yard pass to the ex-Carlisle and Gretna winger Liam Robley, who laid the ball first-time into the path of Jake Briggs.
Briggs then rounded his defender before rifling the ball into the far corner, finishing off a fluent footballing move.
Only minutes later, Briggs produced yet another fine strike. Receiving the ball 25 yards from goal, the left-footed attacker faced goal, opened up his body, and accurately curled a shot into the top corner.
Despite the scoreline, Dalston were producing tackle after tackle, and showed no signs of giving up. Keeper Jamie Shield and right-back Anthony O’Carroll were showing their influential captain Phil Richardson, that they, too, were up for the challenge.
A near own-goal almost got Dalston off to the perfect comeback, minutes after the second-half had kicked off. Howey headed past keeper Steve Nicholson after miscommunication, but Howey saved himself from embarrassment by sprinting back and clearing off the line.
It took 30 minutes of the second half for Castletown to get their fourth, as Dalston were enjoying some possession. Robley, who created the initial chance, followed up a Briggs shot. Castletown’s fifth went to McNaughton.
Substitute Jordan Lawson played in Robley down the left, who had plenty of time to pick out McNaughton at the back post.
Briggs scored his hat-trick during injury time, when he scrambled the ball over the line, rebounding a superb Shield save.
Clive Briggs said “I was very pleased with our first-half performance, but full credit to Dalston for making a real game of it in the second-half. Their attitude and application was something all teams could learn from, including ours, as I thought we never really matched them on that front after half-time.”
