Peter Duffield made a number of changes from the side that were beaten by Frickley on Tuesday, with returns for David Ratcliffe, Ben Starosta, Will Eades, Kieran Wells and Danny Buttle.
With the visitors wearing a borrowed and un-numbered red and white striped kit, it was The Ambers who started at great pace with a fine cross by Wells reaching Buttle at the far post but the winger volleyed wide. However, we only had to wait until the fifth minute for the breakthrough as Eades played a great ball into the left hand channel for Wells to run onto and slot home for his fourth Ambers goal in just his second start. The striker went close twice more in the next few minutes as The Ambers cut loose and Albion were forced to defend desperately.
The lead should have doubled after good work by Smith and Wells found Buttle fifteen yards out with an open goal but the number 11 smashed the ball over. Smith then volleyed narrowly wide and an Eades free kick was grasped at the second attempt by the overworked keeper as the strikers closed in. All this in the first 15 minutes, with the visitors finally breaking out of the stranglehold when their left back fired wide on 18 minutes in their first foray upfield.
With The Ambers continuing to dominate the game, it came as no surprise when the second goal arrived, albeit from an unlikely source. Centre back Julian Lawrence carried the ball forward unchallenged, and after a 1-2 with Buttle, he chipped the keeper from the edge of the area into the far corner for his first Ambers goal.
Luke Fletcher then set up Buttle but it wasn’t the winger’s day as he fired wide again, before switching to the right and sending a great cross in for Fletcher who seemed destined to score but scuffed the ball straight at the keeper. The home fans did not have to wait long for another opportunity, and a quick free kick by Starosta sent Alex Rippon away down the right, his deep cross finding the head of Wells whose goal bound attempt was touched in by Sam Smith for the big strikers’ 30th goal of the season.
A 3-0 half time lead was no more than The Ambers deserved as they had thoroughly dominated a poor Albion side.
With the home fans expecting an avalanche of goals, the second period looked likely to produce as a Smith header came back off the bar two minutes after the re-start. Then a Wells header from another Buttle cross was headed off the line as far as Smith whose shot hit the outside of the post and bounced to safety.
Fletcher, who was running the show, shot narrowly wide and then picked up a booking for an innocuous challenge as Handsworth continued to dominate the opposition. A Wells shot bounced away off the backside of a defender before a rare breakaway by Elam almost produced an Albion goal but Ratcliffe blocked well.
In an attempt to produce a further breakthrough, Smith and Wells were replaced by Nathan Joynes and Bruno Holden but a mixture of wayward finishing and last ditch defending kept the score down, until a minute from time when Eades fed Buttle down the left and his perfect cross was headed home by Holden to end his recent goal drought.
A 4-0 victory was the perfect tonic after Tuesday’s defeat, but in truth, the scoreline could and should have been doubled.