A RUTHLESS display of finishing from Frolesworth United ensured Jordan Halford's side maintained their 100 per cent start to life in Division Two after a flurry of late goals saw the Rabbits triumph 5-0 against CSKA Carnaby's at Rawlins Community College on Sunday morning.
Callum Wills continued his purple patch with the opener after just four minutes, before putting the seal on a third successive win seven minutes from time either side of Max Jones' third goal in as many games before the quarter-hour mark. 16-year-old debutant Jack Frake etched his name into Frolesworth folklore by becoming the club's youngest ever goal-scorer with his first touch after coming off the bench in the 87th minute, with the returning Mark Baker also notching his first goal for the club in the dying seconds.
Both Sam Young and Dan Morrow struck the woodwork for the visitors after the break, while Steven Bottom and Wills had efforts wrongly ruled out for offside as United demonstrated their superior pedigree for the entire 90 minutes in what was the most emphatic performance of the season so far from Halford's charges. The result means United now sit proudly atop the third tier by two points after a perfect start to the season, with Alliance League new boys Lutterworth Town the next visitors to Kimcote Road.
The manager made no secret of his intention to name the same side that came from behind to defeat Desford Athletic 5-2 in midweek, but his plans were scuppered prior to kick-off as Martin Fennon was inexplicably absent as the team departed on the long haul to Quorn. As a result, he made just one enforced change to Wednesday's line-up with Baker returning at left-back while Dom Ivens had to be content with a place amongst the substitutes.
But after having seen his side fall behind in both games so far this season, the manager would have been delighted to see his side race out of the traps on CSKA's infamous 3G pitch and take the lead after barely four minutes. Halford has withdrawn his star man Wills on two occasions amidst complaints of a reoccurring shoulder problem but the young winger showed his predatory instincts by gambling on Young's deft flick-on before racing clear to confidently dispatch his third goal of the season.
And the opener served to illustrate a team that was not previously accustomed to Frolesworth colours, as the new-look Rabbits demonstrated a lesson in counter-attacking football in the opening period. Seemingly content to sit back and soak up the hosts' possession, United doubled their advantage just eight minutes later when Jones also added his third of the season. The new signing has proven a revelation since moving to Gilmorton, effortlessly replacing the talismanic Jake Pantony in the hole behind the striker and after fine work from fellow new boy Barnes Gladman, Jones poked United's second with considerable ease inside the six-yard box.
The rest of the half was relatively a non-event, with the exception of a free header from the home side that would have brought them back into the contest but the visitors went into the second half intent on finally killing the game off. But Halford would have been forgiven for thinking his side would eventually pay for a plethora of missed chances, as Young, who worked tirelessly to little avail on his own up front, saw his effort rattle the foot of the post after he was set up by Baker.
Flame-haired right-back Morrow was the next to be thwarted by a lick of paint, as he gallivanted forward unmarked before his curling effort was deflected on to the frame of the goal and when Andy Morris' downward header was somehow shoveled over the crossbar from point blank range it looked as though the visitors may rue their lack of a cutting edge. Filipino playmaker Ivens was introduced on the hour mark after another industrious shift from Chris Capell and the former was denied from range after he fizzed one goalwards but finally, after man-of-the-match Bottom had his cheeky dink chalked off for offside, United finally clinched another maximum haul just six minutes from time.
It is conceivable that United could have survived in the top flight had it not been for Wills' dislocated shoulder that kept him out for the season and the former Derby County trialist will undoubtedly be the pinnacle of United's attack following his revival. Indeed, it was he who ensured his manager could breathe a sigh of relief after latching onto Bottom's incisive through ball and stroking the ball into the far corner to become the division's most prolific marksman.
He was wrongly denied his hat-trick soon after when he sprung the offside trap, but when clean through once again, Wills must be congratulated for unselfishly squaring the ball for 16-year-old debutant Frake to somehow scuff home his first goal in senior football with his first touch from barely three yards out when it looked like the ball didn't cross the line. However, a goal was awarded amidst protestations from the home side as the youngster was mobbed by his team-mates for completing a fairy tale introduction and becoming the youngest goal scorer in the club's history in the process.
The rampant Rabbits weren't finished there, though, and with barely a minute left on the clock Baker grabbed a goal that his impressive performance merited when he cut inside on his weaker right-foot to emphatically slam home his first goal for the club and in doing so, put the icing on the cake on United's most comprehensive performance to date. With the first clean sheet of the season an added bonus for United, they will be relishing the task of facing Rod Jacques' side at their new home in seven days time.
Up the Rabbits.
