CULLEY FIRES PROMOTION AMBITION –
HAYES & Yeading United continued their promotion push with a four-point bank holiday weekend, following up Saturday’s comfortable 4-0 win at lowly Fleet with a 2-2 draw at home to Hanwell Town on Easter Monday.
And it was Duncan Culley who led the way on Saturday, with a hattrick against Fleet as United head into the final stretch occupying the second automatic promotion place in the Southern League East division, albeit having played more games than their nearest rivals.
Paul Hughes’ side got off to the perfect start on Saturday, when Fleet skipper Chris Wales fouled Toby Little in the area and Culley strode up and confidently sent Liam Beach the wrong way from the spot in the second minute.
Seven minutes later Culley struck again. Strike partner Manny Duku collected a pass in the left channel and skipped past a challenge on the byline before pulling the ball back for Culley to place the ball into the top corner from 12 yards.
From the restart, Scott Donnelly and Laste Dombaxe combined to send the ball to Little on the left and his cross was met by Duku who saw his header blocked at point-blank range by Beach.
The 52nd minute saw the hosts have their only strike on target as Conrad Lucan intercepted a weak pass, cut inside and hit a shot from 25 yards that Zaki Oualah covered.
United continued to push for another goal as Little fired in a freekick from the right that Duku hurled himself at, meeting the ball with a diving header that went wide.
Just after the hour though, Culley completed his hat-trick, as this time a Donnelly free-kick was played in from the right and he rose highest to power a header past Beach.
A rash tackle on Duku by Wales earned the home skipper a second yellow card as Fleet were reduced to ten men for the final 25 minutes.
Donnelly then collected the ball 30 yards out and hit a dipping drive that flew past Beach only to crash back off the bar.
A minute later, Little curled a low free-kick into the bottom corner.