There were goals galore at Stone Close as visitors Clay Cross Town swept away Renishaw FC by 9-1. Ant Lynam’s side had already managed 14 goals in their previous three league games and their free-flowing style of play saw them hit the top of the Central Midlands League North Division at this nascent stage of the new season. Five in the first half were followed by four in the second ahead of a Friday night visit to fifth placed Dinnington Town.
It took Clay Cross just two minutes to break their duck. Harry Dunkerley’s shot from some distance was misjudged by Renishaw’s stand-in keeper Mike Hunter and nestled in the back of the net.
Their second came just three minutes later. Montelle Kamara’s curling left footer from the top of the area saw Cross double their advantage.
Shocked into action, Renishaw got back on the scoresheet on 12 minutes. Jimmy Savage’s free kick from deep on the right hand side was won by Chris Savage, who fed Alex Jones for a close range finish.
Renishaw’s hopes of getting back into the game were dashed on 15 minutes as a terrific run from Lewis Macaskill saw the ball eventually reach Callum Lytham. Lytham’s initial shot was well saved by Hunter but he made no mistake with the follow up to give Clay Cross a 3-1 advantage.
Renishaw’s Jimmy Savage should have hit the target with his header on the half hour mark but it was Clay Cross who ended the half the stronger.
On 42 minutes, Parfitt held the ball up well and fed Kamara, who had the fairly easy task of slotting home from 8 yards out.
The half concluded when the impressive Macaskill weaved his way into the box only to have been adjudged to be brought down by Renishaw’s Matt Blakemore. Macaskill dusted himself down and made it 5-1 from the spot.
Cross began the second half in the same vein that they began the first. Just one minute after the restart, Kamara turned and volleyed past a despairing Hunter from fully 25 yards to claim his hat-trick in the most exquisite way possible.
Two minutes later, it became seven. Lytham outpaced Blakemore on the right and slid the ball home from close range to make it 7-1.
Clay Cross looked headed for double figures on 52 minutes when Macaskill placed a firm header past Hunter after Newton’s pinpoint cross from the right hand side as seven became eight.
Clay Cross brought on Brooks and Hendley on the hour mark and this at least gave Renishaw the impetus to try and reduce the arrears. Jimmy Savage had an effort saved by Ryan Hopkins in the Clay Cross goal on 65 minutes and the hard working Christian Savage fired just over from the angle on 77 minutes.
However, Clay Cross wrapped up their afternoon on 80 minutes as Josh Parfitt, who had led the line without reward thus far, powered through the middle of the Renishaw defence and fired home from the edge of the area to make it 9-1.
Cross boss Ant Lynam sees his side take top spot in the table as a result of the win and puts down an early marker of Town being the favourites for promotion. The newly-formed Renishaw side will undoubtedly have better days but showed enough to suggest that they will be able to compete with teams elsewhere in the division. In these days of supporters not being allowed to watch elite sporting events, they provide a great welcome to spectators and deserve plaudits for that reason at the very least.
Renishaw: Hunter, Cheetham, Kitchen, Jones, Gregory, Blakemore, Savage J, Willis, Savage C, Neath, O’Brien. Subs: Whittaker, Moss, Byard, Gallagher.
Clay Cross: Hopkins, Newton, Brown, Wood, Riley, Suter, Lytham, Dunkerley, Parfitt, Macaskill, Kamara. Subs: Brooks, Whitehead, Hendley, Adley, Whitford.
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