National South Bath sunk by Saints Cory and Elliot grab hat-tricks in 7-goal show from Hallen
HALLEN handed out a 7-0 hammering to Bishops Lydeard, the Toolstation League First Division’s bottom side, at Moorhouse Lane.
Cory Thomas-Barker and Elliot Gardner both completed hat-tricks, and Adnan Hiroli added the final goal of the game, as Hellen moved up 12th in the table.
AEK Boco ended a run of seven straight defeats with a stunning 3-2 success at second-placed Wells City, who missed the chance to replace Nailsea & Tickenham at the top.
FC Bristol, in sixth place, crashed to a 4-0 defeat to Warminster Town at Oaklands Park, where the Wiltshire side struck three times in the opening 14 minutes.
Odd Down won 1-0 at Portishead Town to move above their opponents and into seventh place. Jack Neil’s stoppage-time goal secured the three points for the Downers.
There was stoppage-time drama, too, at Gillingham Town, where Hengrove Athletic won 2-1 thanks to Dylan Gould scoring direct from a corner.
Jacob Grinnell had given Hengrove a 38th-minute lead before Gillingham equalised in the 55th minute.
Bristol Telephones gained an excellent point from a 2-2 draw at home to Wincanton Town, following a first-half goal from Dan Sutton and a stoppage-time equaliser from Riss Woodford.
Almondsbury went down to a 1-0 defeat at Cheddar, with the hosts indebted to a first-half goal from Lewis Chappell.
In the Premier Division, Clevedon Town moved uo to eighth with a 2-1
win against Welton Rovers at the Everyone Active Stadium.
Archie Ferris fired Clevedon ahed shortly before half-time, and although Ben Wych equalised from a free-kick, Ferris grabbed his second in the closing stages to win it for the hosts.
Keynsham Town remain at the foot of the table after a 6-0 defeat at home to high-flying Shepton Mallet.
Keynsham’s young side went into the game on the back of a couple of league and cup wins but were blown away by five Shepton goals in the opening 26 minutes, scored by Fin Wilkinson, direct from a free-kick, Matt Wood, Callum Gould, Jacob Sloggett, with a penalty, and Danny Constable.
Keynsham improved significantly after the break, but still conceded a sixth after Constable latched on to a through ball from Joel Sisson and slipped a shot past goalkeeper Joel Manning.
Ashton & Backwell had a particularly frustrating day as their game at Mousehole was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch after they had already travelled as far as a services in Cornwall.
Cribbs stayed one point clear of Malvern at the top of the Hellenic League Premier Division after a 1-0 success at third-placed Worcester Raiders. A second-half strike from George Kellow settled the game.
Roman Glass St George are in seventh place after a penalty from Loui Ward secured a 1-0 victory at Fairford Town.
Jadyn Crosbie scored for struggling Mangotsfield United in a 4-1 defeat at Brimscombe & Thrupp, while bottom side Thornbury Town went down 2-0 at Longlevens.
BATH City suffered a 3-0 National League South defeat against St Albans City at Clarence Park in a game which turned on the sending off of Jordan Dyer in first-half stoppage-time.
Despite trailing to a 10th minute penalty – Jeffers converting after he was tripped in the box – Bath enjoyed the better of the opening 45 minutes.
The hosts dealt well with a series of corners and Saints ‘keeper Dylan Berry was forced into several good stops, with City’s press forcing a number of errors as St Albans tried to play the ball out from the back.
Just when it looked like the penalty would separate the sides at the break, Dyer’s challenge on Joe Neal right on the edge of the box was adjudged a foul and, after consulting with his assistant, the referee brandished a red card.
Bath’s punishment was doubled when Shaun Jeffers curled the free-kick beyond debutant ‘keeper
Josh Gould. Any hopes of a comeback disappeared on 58 minutes when Mitchell Weiss stopped to head home from six yards out.
The Saints showed little inclination to push for more goals after this – in fact, Keiran Parselle’s header on to the top of the bar was the closest either side would come to adding to the scoring – but the damage had already been inflicted on the Romans to send them to just a second away defeat this season.