Barnstaple Gulls 0 Raging Fever 6

Report by Jon Brown

While United continue to frustrate in their glorious bid to miss out on any end-of-season excitement, their fans go from strength to strength on the football pitch. A well-contested but ultimately straightforward victory over Torquay?s Barnstaple Gulls means that RF scored back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

A series of corners yielded early headed efforts from Martin Brodetsky and Geoff Carter, the latter hitting the bar, and this set the pattern for the game. The scoring was opened midway through the first half as the Gulls? keeper spilled a low Brodetsky cross and Gez Foster was on hand to tap in the loose ball. Not long afterwards debutant Craig Wootton flicked a Jon Brown throw into the path of leading scorer John Matthews, whose control and shot left the keeper with no chance, and the away team took a 2-0 lead into the interval.

Torquay?s supporters rallied after the break, but some very solid defending from the Fever?s back line meant that Danny Williams in goal was never really troubled. Eventually RF?s superiority showed, and the last four goals came thick and fast in the closing stages. Gez provided the first two, first crossing for Matthews? second, a tap-in with striped shirts queuing up in the area, then shooting well himself only to see Craig ensuring the keeper was beaten with a deft flick.

Craig rounded off an impressive performance with the goal of the game, latching on to a long ball out of goal from Danny and finishing with an exquisite chip over the onrushing Gulls ‘keeper. Then John Matthews completed his obligatory hat-trick from yet another through ball from Gez.

In the dying moments the impressive Mark Howland had a header saved from point-blank range, but the win was well and truly in the bag by then and well-deserved by all in the Raging Fever colours. The performance was particularly impressive given how early most of the team had had to leave Oxford, and given the amount of Torquay?s nightlife the other members had sampled the previous evening.

Raging Fever: Danny Williams, Geoff Carter, Gary Butler, Andy Hill, Pat Wehmeier, Martin Brodetsky, Gez Foster, Mark Howland, Jon Brown, Craig Wootton, John Matthews.

Goals: Foster, Matthews(3), Wootton(2)