Langham hat-trick keeps LRFC top of the league

HINCKLEY’S Leicester Road FC got straight back to winning ways with an emphatic 5-1 victory at

Cadbury Athletic to maintain their table topping position in MFL Division 1.

Following their 2-1 Boxing Day home win over Heath Hayes, more neat pass and move football laid the foundations for another dominant – but more clinical - performance, with a Matty Langham hat-trick, a Dom Brennan strike and a bullet header from skipper Danny Jenno securing the three points.

LRFC began very brightly on a heavy pitch and on 5 mins a raking cross field pass from Callum Earls found Liam Read free and he set up Jack Harrison from the edge of the box, but his pile driver drifted just centimetres wide.

Straight after a Sam Munton cross found Simon Alcott 10 yards out but his snapshot was too close to the Cadbury keeper and it was cleared. Then on 10 mins, following a Jordan Burrows drive that was tipped around the post, Jenno’s powerful header from the corner also flew just wide.

A period of midfield stalemate followed, as both teams seemed to cancel each other out. However, on 27 mins Cadbury had their first effort on goal. The shot was going well wide, but a late deflection saw the wrong-footed LRFC keeper Will Highland having to scramble back across his goal to clear.

Two minutes later a Cadbury effort from a corner saw Burrows clearing off the line as the home side showed signs of growing into the game, but the Road were soon straight back at them as Alcott this time fired agonisingly wide after being set up by Munton - and a Brennan strike was rightly chalked off as Earls strayed offside.

On 35 mins, however, LRFC took a deserved lead when Langham latched onto a poor back pass and despite the attention of three defenders and his shirt being pulled he buried it in the bottom corner. Jenno saw another headed corner go wide just before half time, but the Road went in for the break one goal to the good and largely bossing both territory and possession.

LRFC flew out of the blocks in the second half and straight from the kick off Langham almost pounced again following Cadbury misjudging a log throw, but rushing his shot he fired too high. The Road continued on the front foot though and on 62 mins a Burrows drive looked to be heading for the corner, only to take a late deflection with the keeper beaten.

This time Jenno timed his header to perfection and leaping highest in a crowded area he thundered his header from the corner past a helpless Cadbury keeper to make it 2-0 – and it properly knocked the stuffing out of the home side.

On 69 mins a slide rule pass from Read put Brennan clear and he expertly slid in at full stretch from 18 yards before the defender and keeper could intervene. A minute later Read set up Langham this time and his turn and feign bamboozled the home defence and he slotted home to make it 4-0.

Cadbury did get a lovely consolation goal minutes later when their centre forward let rip from 25 yards out, but although Highland got fingertips on it, the shot was too powerful and accurate and rifled into the top corner. However on 81 mins Langham got a deserved hat-trick when he drilled home the penalty earned by the tireless Read as he again drifted past his man in the box.

LRFC Starting X1: Highland (GK,) Acton, Jenno (C), Earls, Harrison, Read, Alcott, Munton, Burrows, Brennan, Langham. SUBS: Perkins, (GK), Beasley, Hohn, Gomes, Whitehouse.