Dronfield Town racked up a huge win over bottom side Swallownest on an afternoon where few games were played due to the torrential rains of the day before. The HE Barnes Stadium-based team ran in eleven unanswered goals in a scintillating display that saw them rise to tenth in the table. A Max Rhodes hat-trick coupled with doubles from Mark Fereday and James Lindores added to goals from Dan White, Sam Bebbington, Joe Pearson and Callum Mawbey to complete the mammoth victory. Town now face a tough run of games starting with a visit to seventh-placed Shirebrook Town on Tuesday evening.
Dronfield began with great purpose that allowed them to run in six goals before half time. Central defender Dan White began the rout on 6 minutes, rising to power a bullet header home from a trademark Charlie Stewart inswinging corner.
The second came two minutes later. Super build-up play, which was a feature of Town’s game all afternoon, forced Swallownest keeper Jenson Beever into a fine double save but he was unable to prevent Sam Bebbington tapping home to make it 2-0.
Dronfield stopper Lewis Naylor made a solid save low to his left from a Kallum Nix strike but that was the sole chance of note for the visitors as the hosts soon claimed a third. A pinpoint ball from midfield found Max Rhodes, whose shot was saved by Beever but only as far as Mark Fereday, who again tapped in at 3-0.
Rhodes finally got his reward for some timely runs on 34 minutes. Callum Riley’s ball down the line found Mark Fereday, who squared for the young striker to hit home comfortably for Town’s fourth.
Rhodes repaid the favour for Fereday to get his second of the encounter, and Dronfield’s fifth, three minutes before half time. His run down the right saw the ball come inside to Fereday, who stepped inside his man and drilled home to make it 5-0.
And there was still time for Dronfield to get a sixth before the break. This time Sam Bebbington turned provider on the right flank, his ball eventually reaching Joe Pearson, who turned and slotted in from a couple of yards out.
Playing for pride, Swallownest saw Lewis Naylor block James Keenan’s break five minutes after the restart but the Dronfield bandwagon soon got into full flow once again with a further five goals.
This time it was Connor Chapell’s left footed cross from the right that was met by the head of Callum Mawbey, whose free header nestled in the back of the net to make it 7-0.
Max Rhodes got his second on 58 minutes. He was put in the clear, lobbing Beever who got a hand to the ball but couldn’t prevent it going into the goal for Dronfield’s eighth.
Dronfield rang the changes, allowing valuable game time to all their bench, but they were no less effective in going forward.
The 70th minute saw Rhodes complete his hat-trick. Town’s leading marksman should have scored from James Lindores’ initial ball from the right but as Joe Pearson delivered from the left, he made amends from close range to make it 9-0.
Substitute Lindores hit a late double to complete an utterly comprehensive win for Dronfield. Bebbington’s long ball forward was finished with aplomb by the young hitman on 86 minutes and it was his sheer persistence two minutes into added time that saw him dink the ball between the Swallownest keeper and his central defender to complete the 11-0 victory.
The win completed a week where Dronfield hit sixteen goals and as a result, rose to tenth in the Northern Counties East League Division One table. They now travel to seventh placed Shirebrook on Tuesday evening before welcoming fourth placed Parkgate to the HE Barnes Stadium next Saturday.
Dronfield Town: Naylor, Bebbington, Mawbey, Stewart, Riley, White, Chapell, Lester, Rhodes, Fereday, Pearson. Subs: Knight, Hatton, J Thorpe, M Thorpe, Lindores.
Swallownest: Beever, Daughtrey, Williams, Nix, Kemp, Edwards, Keenan, Langley, Okoro, Moss, Woodhouse. Subs: Muirhead, Hardeman, Thomas, Willis, Hancock.
Attendance: 174
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