WWFC jumped up to 2nd in the SHBL Division 1 table after an emphatic win at AFC Ripley.

Today's opponents were our bogey team last season. Despite having the better of all 3 fixtures against them, they still managed to pick up results, most notably in the League Cup 1/2 Final.

We knew what to expect and we knew what we had to do turn around our fortunes against them. Thankfully today we were more than good enough despite not necessarily being at our best.

After a slow start to the game it was our hosts who were first to go close after 5 minutes. Their big midfielder (more on him in a bit) hit the bar with a good free kick attempt from distance. It was to be their only real attempt at goal in the first half as we began to take control.

A few minutes later Luca Mortellaro's expert crossfield ball found Joey Stevens in behind and although he beat the keeper to the ball, he was unlucky to see his effort hit the far post before Ripley cleared.

On the 10 minute mark we took the lead. Joey swung over a corner and skipper Oli Cochrane rose highest at the near post to nod a downward header past the keeper.

Midway through the first half came the only real down point for us. Their big midfielder clattered through Adam Miles from behind and when he got up he headbutted and punched Luca in the face. This was a first for us in our history and I am sure a first for Luca. Unfortunately, but somewhat understandably, he failed to keep his cool, retaliated and both players saw red.

It was a disgraceful moment in a game that barely had a tackle of note in the whole 90 minutes and completely out of context. We are discussing the best way to move forward with this issue.

Both teams were totally stunned by the incident which made remainder of the half a bit of a non event. We nearly made it 2-0, but Joey had an effort cleared off the line after he had rounded the keeper.

The second half was one way traffic and the game was over within 10 minutes of the restart.

Simon Grout played a pass through the heart of Ripley's defence and Oli's speed and strength saw him beat the defender to the ball. He cut back inside before laying off to Joey who swept the ball into the empty net.

A couple of minutes later Joey's corner found the top corner via a slight deflection off their defender.

With 15 minutes to go Oli got a deserved second. He surged through their backline and the keeper took him out needlessly to gift us a penalty. Oli found the bottom corner for his 4th of the season which means he has already scored more goals this season after 4 games than in the entire 14/15 campaign. Impressive stuff.

After Toby Maher missed a good chance from a corner, Ripley pulled one back on a very rare foray forward as a long ball got their striker in behind and he coolly lobbed Damian Lynch for a consolation.

Tom Davis, making his first appearance of the season, twice went close to scoring but saw the keeper save his first attempt before missing with a header from a Giles Smith corner.

Odgie did then make a mark on the game as his fine clipped ball found Tob who dispatched a superb finish into the far corner to make it 1-5. It was a 3rd goal in as many matches for Tob as he continued his fine form.

It should have been 6 with the last attack of the game. Tob blocked a clearance to get through on goal. His first attempt was well saved then his second attempt hit the post and Oli saw his shot desperately cleared.

The result was every bit as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. We could have scored more and our calm defensive display warranted a clean sheet. I think we would be naïve not to expect Ripley to improve for the return clash next week at Winston.

3 wins in a row, 2nd in the table and scoring goals for fun. It has been a great start to the season and long may it continue.

Match Stats:

Total Attempts: Ripley 6-19 WWFC
On Target: Ripley 2-9 WWFC
Off Target: Ripley 3-5 WWFC
Blocked: Ripley 1-5 WWFC
Clear Chances: Ripley 1-11 WWFC
Corners: Ripley 1-8 WWFC

MoM: Oli - industrious and productive. 2 goals and an assist in a fine all round display.

Huge thanks to Lorry for running the line, to Adam and those who came to support and to Ads for filming the last 20 minutes.