Facelad stretched their unbeaten run to four games with a stunning performance in the Challenge Cup against Church End. Goals for the inform Matt Saxby, Darren O'Brien and Jerry Clynes saw Facelad run out comfortable 3-0 winners. Facelad dominated the game from start to finish and immediately began on the front foot moving the ball swiftly and accurately in triangles all over the pitch. Playing alongside Michael Barton and protecting the back four captain Michael Alderman was able to start play from deeper and dominate the game throughout. The red hot Matt Saxby got the goalscoring underway adding to his already impressive tally by taking two quick touches on the edge of the Church End area before smashing his third into the bottom corner. Saxby was inches away from adding to his opener after excellent one touch football from Clynes, Howell and O'Brien saw the latter being set free down the right and whipping a delicious ball across the box with the outside of his left boot only to just evade Saxby at the back post. Whilst Facelad continued to dominated possesion, goalkeeper Kieron Extence spent the majority of the game as a spectator. He was however on hand to make a wonderful save clawing a Church End effort around the post from point blank range. Having kept Facelad's lead alive Extence then looked on as Howell and O'Brien produced an excellent one two on the edge of the Church End box to set O'Brien free. After pushing the ball past the keeper O'Brien managed to stay on his feet long enough to poke home into an empty net after riding a foul from the Church End keeper to make it 2-0. The rest of the first half saw Facelad dominate possession throughout and without creating any real clear cut chances however they always looked a threat with O'Brien in particular terrifying his oposing full back.
The second half saw the introduction of Charlie Comerford in what is likely to be his final outting in a Facelad shirt as he moves on to pastures new. Comerford looked an immediate threat taking a wonderful first touch to pluck the ball out of the sky and set Facelad on yet another attack as Facelad started the second half in similar fashion to the first. Church End opted to bipass their midfield in the second half and play root one football. The back four of Jordan Scott, Stuart Shaw, Matt Newman and Jack Lawrence dealt with everything thrown at them, along with the assured Extence commanding throughout. The game became frantic for fifteen to twenty minutes with both sides throwing everything into scoring the next goal. Facelad looked the most threatening and looked like scoring every time they attacked. The game was put to bed as Clynes picked the ball up from Comerford before embarking on a brilliant solo run beating three men before firing high into the net, ending the tie as a contest. Facelad could easily have added more to their total with Comerford and Howell both acrobatically coming close. Second half substitute Billy Rolland also raced clear only to flash his strike across the face of goal. Half chances fell all over the place in the last ten minutes but the score finished 3-0 and Facelad march on to the next round. Man of the match was particularly difficult this week with superb performances all across the park. But deservedly O'Brien picks up the accolade this week, the front man looking at his very best again. #COYF
