Ware 6 Ashford Town (Middx.) 0
Isthmian League Div 1 (South Central)
7th December 2019
Att: 100
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6-6-6 Forget the number, the name of the beast is Ware. Another six goals as Blues continue their run.

All good things must come to an end but not yet it seems as Ware's run of high scoring victories continued with this demolition of relegation threatened Ashford Town. This was Ware's fourth consecutive six-goal haul (their third in the league) prompting a further look into the club's records for the most recent similar run. That was in January and February 1927, ninety two years ago.

Meanwhile back to 2019 when Ware had a somewhat tentative start to the game during which the visitors moved the ball around well and looked capable of opening up the home defence. But within five minutes Blues had come into their own and soon opened the scoring. Pat Adamson worked the ball forward on the left before crossing into the Ashford penalty area. Josh Williams was on the end of the pass and had time to shoot home from just beyond the six yard area.

Ware scented blood after this and enjoyed a significant proportion of possession and territory to create numerous chances. Williams might have had a second just two minutes after the first when another Adamson cross was mishandled by Sam Mason. It fell to the Ware number seven but his shot was somehow cleared from in front of goal.

As Ware continued to press Alaa Oujdi might have scored but his shot from close range on the left was the wrong side of the post. Another goal did come however on 17 minutes. Liam Hope's intelligent lob forward found Oujdi, now on the right, and he turned his man before laying the ball into the path of Harry Watkins who placed his low shot beyond Mason and into the corner of the net.

Williams and Watkins both had more chances until Hope made it 3-0 just before the break, striking home after Williams' pull back from the right. On another day it could have been more as Ware had by far the better of the half. Ashford's best and only significant chance being Daniel Brown's long range shot that seemed to twist and turn in the air and required Calum Kitscha to be on alert to tip it over the bar.

The Ware keeper needed to make another good save five minutes after the restart as Ashford searched for a way back into the game but in another five minutes Ware had killed them off with a fourth goal.

A long ball out to the left found Oujdi looking suspiciously offside but there was no flag. His cross into the middle came out to Watkins who drove it into the net off Mason for his second goal. The muted celebration from both crowd and players suggested many thought it might have been ruled out had VAR been available.

Ware continued to play the ball around confidently and whilst Ashford looked good at times they never really got close to a goal as Ware closed them down. In fact there were several opportunities for both Ware full backs to bring the ball forward as the home team controlled the game. Even Dan Rumens forsook defensive duties to carve his way through the opposition on one occasion before being stopped just wide of the penalty area. But it was Oujdi who nearly scored, his shot being deflected onto the bar by Mason.

Leigh Rose was having another good game chasing back to harry opponents and win the ball but with twenty minutes to go his persistence was in the other direction. He pursued a long ball to the Ashford by line just in time to pull it back into the six yard area where brother Louis was waiting to chest it over the line for number five. It was his fifth goal in five games.

Shortly after that Williams completed the scoring, turning in from the right to roll the ball home from the edge of the penalty area. It was Ware's 96th goal in 30 games so far this season.

No-one could be faulted in this Ware performance but Paul Halsey still made changes of personnel, none more interesting than the withdrawal of Oujdi to give debutant Andre McCollin half an hour in the match. He looked a sharp and skilful addition to the squad.

Ware: Calum Kitscha, Macsen Fraser, Pat Adamson, Leigh Rose, Louis Rose, Dan Rumens (Gareth Madden 82mins), Josh Williams, Tom Bruno, Liam Hope, Harry Watkins (Kyle Roberts 63mins), Alaa Oujdi (Andre McCollin 63mins). Unused subs: Dave Kendall, Kardan Campbell.