Youngster Robert Taylor looked sharpest early on, and it was his excellent one-two with Pacquette that set out-of-favour striker Nialle Rodney up for the opening goal in the 12th minute.
Matlock answered immediately, however, capitalising on poor defending to score an equaliser from close range just.
I thought we might be in for an exciting—if scrappy—match, and the reckless way in which both sides continued to attack seemed to suggest that I was right.
Taylor again turned provider for Nialle Rodney in the 33rd minute, crossing from the right for an easy tap in. This time, Matlock had no response. We kept pushing, and then a defensive error put Atkinson in possession outside the box.
The midfielder chipped the ball into the penalty area, where it bounced off Pacquette’s back and into the path of Rodney. The young striker converted effortlessly, spinning around with a huge grin on his face. He’d bagged a first-half hat-trick.
Matlock striker Matt Goddard had a point to prove, and he twice turned his man before unleashing a vicious shot towards goal. Thankfully (for us), Adamson was more than up to the task of keeping the ball out of the goal.
The second period was quiet, as my Reserves cruised and Matlock struggled for ideas. Rodney claimed the match ball for his hat-trick, and the only other incident of note was an injury to young left midfielder Aaron Rice.
The first report on goalkeeper Sebastian Usai indicates that he is a talented young player, but—much as I judged yesterday—flawed in many respects. In particular, he is a woeful team player with bad positional sense and little physical presence. I’ll get a second opinion before deciding whether to overlook these shortcomings and go after him.
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