Students hold on to win seven goal thriller after an explosive first half performance

LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY FC 4 SOUTH NORMANTON 3

THESE two sides put on a display that would have lit up any night sky and surely warmed those watching on a cold November afternoon.

There’s an old adage in football about ‘A game of two halves’ – well this one was just that.

The first 45 minutes saw the Students threaten to blow the visitors away with a display that was so good to watch you didn’t want it to end. South Normanton certainly must have had the sound of fireworks going off in their head as the Scholars built up the three goal lead that was thoroughly deserved and the opening goal from the in-form Alex Read was an absolute firework night cracker. Awarded a free kick some 25 yards out saw Read lining up his shot having scored two in the last home game from similar range.

As he launched his latest rocket over the visitors wall keeper Darren Keeling can have hardly seen it as it whistled into the far corner of the net.

Another in form player at the moment is the Students centre forward Joe Boachie and he continued his recent goal scoring run by powering on to a through ball and once he had a sight of goal there was only one place the ball was going.

Two up inside half an hour and Uni wanted more and following another spell of fine football Boachie this time turned provider by setting up Matty Crookes for the third and at halftime there looked only one winner.

Only South Normanton had a few sparklers of their own which they set off in the second half.

A few minutes into the half South Normanton were awarded a penalty after a Uni player was judged to have held back Crosby and gave away a somewhat needless spot kick. This was duly hammered home by Marcus Tudgay who just a few seasons ago was plying his trade in the Championship with Nottingham Forest and few other clubs.

This goal lit the fuse for the visitors who put the Uni lads under a lot of pressure and following a defensive mix up Tudgay was there again to roll the ball into the net.

It was definitely a different game now and the Students were under the cosh and could hardly get forward. However, in a rare foray into the South Normanton half the Scholars scored what might best be described as a somewhat fortunate goal, or maybe a complete fluke would be an even better way of putting it. Alex Read’s first goal had left the keeper stranded but his second must have made him wonder just what was going on. Read was out on the left and he sent over a high looping cross that appeared to be drifting out of play when suddenly to everyone’s surprise, players and spectators and most definitely the goalkeeper the ball landed in the back of the net.

If the onlookers and the Students thought that was it; it wasn’t. With five minutes of normal time left Tudgay smashed a shot past Hobbs in the Uni goal to set up a finish that had the supporters on the edge of their seats right up until the moment the final whistle blew with Tudgay and Company still firing in on the home goal.