7' Michael Wood fires home both his and our second (2-0)
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The delayed kick off didn't stop the Magpies flying out of the traps though. In the third minute Mark Cave slipped the ball to Michael Wood who calmly stepped inside before curling the ball in off the far post to give the hosts the lead from 18 yards.
And only four minutes later the pair combined again after Jon Dollery had made some excellent ground down the left. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box to the right of goal, Wood took aim and smashed an effort past Luke Hutchings in the Littlehampton goal to double the lead and it was no more than the Magpies deserved after a high pressure start and saw Wood bag himself a brace in consecutive matches and take his season's tally to nine in all competitions. |
Unfortunately Wood's afternoon was curtailed moments later when he was caught from behind to thwart his hat-trick chance and had to be replaced by Cecil Jee. It was long before the hosts were forced into their second substitution due to injury as Toby House fell victim to the more robust approach that the visitors were adopting to try and get a foothold in the match.
The Magpies did well to ensure that their momentum wasn't halted though and just after the half hour mark they furthered their lead. A free kick across goal from Cave following a foul on Joel Colbran was missed by Matt Daniel, Eddie French and Clyde Jacques before Jee finally took advantage at the far post and stabbed the ball home from close range. |
32' Cecil Jee stabs home from close range to make it 3-0
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54' Clyde Jacques stoops to glance his header in for 4-1
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The Magpies were keen to start the second half strongly, conscious of the boost the visitors had received just before the break, and they did just that. First Jee got away down the inside-right channel but Hutchings did well to block his effort from a tight angle. Then in the 53rd minute French flicked on a cross to Colbran who unleashed a vicious left foot volley that clipped the bar.
Finally, a minute later, the pressure told. Dollery and Jay Lovett combined well to recycle a corner and the latter then delivered a perfect in-swinging cross that Jacques was able to guide into the bottom corner for what was the big defender's sixth goal of the season already. |
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