BRIDPORT 6

CREDITON UNITED 3

BRIDPORT scored six times to earn their sixth consecutive victory in the South West Peninsula League Premier East, beating Crediton United 6-3.

Bridport remain second with a perfect 18 points from six matches, having netted six goals in a league game for the first time since the 6-1 home win over Wells in March 2018.

All the talk pre-match was of this being a battle between second and third, but the Bees punished their opponents with clinical finishing in an end-to-end first half.

Chris Herbst’s men went into the break 4-0 up and the contest was effectively over, despite a spirited response from the Devon side in the second half.

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Bridport survived an early shot across the face of goal by Mike Liney before their right-back George Calverley was denied by a tip-over save from Creddy keeper Ethan Chalk.

However, from the resultant corner Fred Parsons made it 1-0 with a close-range finish, setting the Bees on their way.

Chalk repelled a James Cox stinger before Sol Ayunga stole possession and unselfishly teed up Riley Weedon for a simple finish.

On a scorching day, the players took a drinks break midway through the half and Bridport added a third thanks to a lapse in concentration by Chalk as Calverley’s cross from the right sailed directly into the net.

Sensing the chance to put the game to bed, Ayunga smashed against the bar but Crediton gave a reminder of their enduring threat in a breathless half when Harvey Dorothy worked Jordon Scadding into a good save.

For all Crediton’s menace they failed to carve out the same gilt-edged chances as Bridport and another reflection of that trend came just before half-time.

United were unlucky in some respects as Calverley’s shot pinged off the bar and Weedon swooped in to convert the rebound for 4-0.

Crediton predictably came out a team possessed in the second half and worked their way back to 4-2 when Dorothy scored from the edge of the box and Luke White ghosted past a static defence to bag in the 72nd minute.

Crediton were two goals behind for only a minute though, as Ayunga buried a cross from close-range to get the goal his outstanding performance deserved.

To their immense credit, Crediton continued to push the Bees and grabbed a third goal when Dorothy sprinted in on goal to finish after making a mockery of the offside trap.

There was still time for Weedon to complete what was an effortless hat-trick as he tapped home following more tenacious work from Ayunga, the striker retrieving possessing and setting Weedon up for 6-3.

Speaking post-match, Herbst said: “I’m over the moon really, it’s a massive credit to the management and the players.

“A lot of hard work has gone in behind the scenes from myself, Locky (Mark Lock), Jim (Lukosius, coach) and (Mark) Tozer.

“Everything is going in the right direction but nothing’s done yet, we’ve still got another 20-odd games to play.”

He added: “We made a little hard work of it after going 4-0 up but it was always going to be one of those second halves, they had everything to fight for.

“We just took our foot off the gas, which was annoying. If they didn’t come out, they’d have got flattened. We just didn’t switch on.

“I wanted us to sit in because we knew they’d come at us, but they didn’t listen. I said I’d take 4-0 all day, I wanted a clean sheet.

“Again, second half we played some really good stuff. I can’t be too disheartened. If you offered me 6-3 I’d have taken it.”

Bridport travel to Cullompton Rangers on Wednesday (7.30pm) looking for a magnificent seven wins.

Bees: Scadding, Daniels (Gape 60), Cox, King, Lock (Baggs 61), Calverley (Brook 60), Leader, Parsons (Owen 60), Weedon, Richardson, Ayunga. Sub not used: Diaz.