CHICKERELL UTD 5 OKEFORD UTD 0

CHICKERELL United’s players gave boss Steve Coward the reaction he was looking for as the hosts regained first place in the Dorset Senior League.

Goals from Josh Why, Nick Etherington, Joe Charles, Dan Newnham and Liam Taylor saw the Chickens despatch Okeford at the Stalls to leapfrog Balti House, who lost 3-0 to Sturminster Newton, in the league table.

The home side also had keeper Steve Boore to thank for a sixth clean sheet in the league this season – the Chickerell gloveman saved a second-half penalty.

And after being held to a draw by Corfe Mullen the previous weekend, Coward was delighted with the response he got from his charges last Saturday.

“It was a very good performance and the reaction we needed,” he said. “We were 5-0 up by half-time so the game was effectively over at that point.

“I had a chat with the players about the game against Corfe Mullen and they really put that behind them on Saturday.

“We played some really good stuff and scored a few great goals, and keeping a clean sheet was very pleasing as well.”

Going into more detail about the clash, he added: “I kept everything pretty much the same as the week before, and although Okeford are near the bottom, we did not taken them lightly at all.

“We scored all our goals in the first half but they kept us out in the second, and I was really pleased for Steve Boore when he saved a penalty.

“Keepers don’t get much attention when you’re winning games and scoring goals, so that was a good confidence boost for him.”

Okeford will have a chance to gain revenge this Saturday when they host the Chickens in the quarter-finals of the Dorset Senior Trophy.

Chickens: Boore, Taylor, Newnham, Burton (Brown), Miles, Charles, Churchill, Welch (Rawlings), Etherington, Why, White (Jarvis)