Bullish Brantham Crush 'Rezzies'

Brantham Reserves 5 Wivenhoe Reserves 0
A very disjointed and disappointing performance from Wivenhoe Reserves saw them suffer a resounding defeat away to table-topping Brantham. It was a cool misty night and Wivenhoe kicked off in the direction of Manningtree.
The opening exchanges were scrappy but the Wiv Rezzies fell behind on 10 minutes when the Imps number 4 hit home a loose ball after the defence was carved open with a low cross. Virtually all the action was in the Wivenhoe half as they laboured to string more than two or three passes together. Brantham hit the cross bar and had a lob from the edge of box tipped over by Matt Groves before just before the half hour they doubled their lead. A corner from the right sailed to the far post where the Brantham number 5 showed most desire to win the ball and it was bundled over the line. Five minutes later the score was 3-0 when another low cross ran loose and the Imps number 9 smacked it home from 10 yards.
Wivenhoe’s only real attacks of the half both involved Lewis Ayton. On 40 minutes Lewis charged whippet-like down the left flank surprising the Brantham defence with his sheer pace, before crossing low to the near post where Anthony Wright was unable to control the ball sufficiently to do more than steer it wide of the post from 6 yards. In the final minute of the half Anthony laid the ball off to Lewis who hit a shot from 20 yards, which forced the Brantham keeper into a low diving save.
The second half was no better for the Wiv Rezzies, although they won their first corner on 49 minutes. The only area in which they out-scored Brantham on the night was in bookings as Anthony Wright entered the referee’s notebook on 62 minutes and Nick Palmer was also cautioned. Two minutes later, though probably unrelated, Brantham scored a fourth goal when a corner was hooked home by someone or other, not sure who, you know how it is. Brantham’s number 5 hit a post on 72 minutes before a hat-trick of goals from corners was completed on the 81st minute and Brantham ‘went nap’, whatever that means, as No 6 headed home unopposed. There was still time for Matt Groves to makes a good save from someone’s shot and Wivenhoe then even had two shots of their own; firstly from Ben Fowler and then from Liam Dadds, who had come on as a late substitute. Finally, Brantham’s No 8 headed against the cross bar too before the boyish looking referee blew for time.
Overall, Brantham looked a more talented team man for man, but more importantly they were better organised and looked to have trained together more successfully as they knew what other players were going to do. But what can you do if not everyone comes to training al the time? Lewis Ayton gave his all and his pace worried Brantham defenders and Anthony Wright looked capable early on, but his game was stifled by a lack of service.