King rules over Town

Craig King hit four as Willesborough started the new year in style with an 11-1 trouncing of hosts Lydd Town 3rds. Luke Walder, Tommy Etherington and Ryan Fitzgerald all scored twice, with Marc Lawrence adding the other, in a performance manager Lee James hailed as the best of the season. They raced to a 6- 0 half-time lead, making light of a muddy pitch, before adding five more in the second half against winless bottom side Lydd, who have now conceded 142 goals in 15 games. Fitzgerald, making his full debut for the side, was named man-of-the-match, adding four assists to his goal double, while debutant Marky Everest set-up Walder’s opener. Riverside scored first, only to finish on the wrong end of a 5-1 home defeat by Golden Arrow Reserves in the only other game to survive. Bradley Godden marked his debut with the opening goal. Posing plenty of problems for the Hythe visitors, he ran onto player-manager Stuart Kingsnorth’s through ball and fired home. Arrow striker John Smith fired a shot wide, before his side then missed a penalty. Steve Masters then put Arrow level before half-time. Godden went close again early in the second half but Arrow withstood the pressure and Masters then put them in front. Prolific Smith then took centre stage with his latest hat-trick, punishing Riverside for some poor defending, with the third taking a massive deflection, before beating goalkeeper Andrew Possee.