Standing Eight count for Raunds

This was a trend that set the afternoon alight on an otherwise gloomy Kiln Park.

During the opening exchanges, Raunds offered very little resistence and only for last minute blocks, the goalkeeper and on occasions the woodwork we could have seen the first game of football where a team would declare.

The demolition started after 10 minutes where a Glass corner saw the Raunds goalkeeper helplessly push the ball into his own net whilst under pressure from Foster. Crockett doubled the lead on 20 mins where a good move from the left saw Cassidy strike from the edge of the box helped in by Crockett on the goal line. There may have been suspicions of offside, but the referee allowed the goal to stand.

Rangers left hand side again caused the opposition with a good developing relationship with Glass and Ling, both providing quality crosses and good build up play. On the half hour, the game was effectively over when a cross in from the left found Right Back Marlow lingering at the far post for an easy tap in - his first for 3 years!

Ling scored the fourth on the stroke of half time to go in with an emphatic lead.

Raunds failed to test Watts in the Rangers goal during the first half, this was to remain the same until late in the second half with a rasping free-kick crashing against the cross bar. To Raunds avail, the scoreline at this point was already 7-0. Leading scorer Rob Foster, John Crockett's second and a Phil Cassidy tap in adding the hosts woes.

Raunds finished the game with 9 men, after ill discipline set in, firstly with Raunds captain being dismissed for dissent and the latter for a professional foul. The resulting free-kick by Steve Blackwood was executed brilliantly to round off a good performance for the league leaders.

With the days big matches ending with Bugbrooke and Oadby both beating fellow championship rivals in AFC Rushden & Diamonds and Eynesbury it was crucial to keep up with the pace and maintain the points distance at the top.

Rangers from: Watts, Marlow (Boot), Hewitt, Smeathers, Glass, Ling, Cassidy, Crockett, Redding, Goodall (Blackwood), Foster (Slinn) unused: Keall