Derby Men’s 3rd XI 3-1 Worcester Men’s 2nd XI: Hosts go top with entertaining win
Words by Trent Hutson.
A Tino Mgangaduta brace ensured Derby breezed past Worcester to continue their rich vein of form and move to the top of the table.
Mgangaduta’s first-half volley meant the hosts went into the break ahead after a cagey affair, and the points were sealed midway through the second half when he doubled both his and his side’s tally for the afternoon, before substitute Alex Goodall got in on the act for the third and final goal.
In an opening that saw both teams struggle to break each other down, Worcester had the best chance through Torin Hegley, who did well to shrug off two Derby defenders before unleashing a shot that cannoned back off the crossbar.
That close scare certainly woke up the hosts who then had a succession of chances within a few minutes. The best of those fell to Joe Smalley who was found by Morgan Schuler, but he was unable to find the target from a few yards out.
Nick Comrie forced Derby stopper Ryan Lees-Stevens into action as the game neared half time with the hosts’ number one smartly diverting the ball wide of his goal. That turned out to be a vital save as it allowed his team mates to take the lead just moments later.
The home side fired themselves ahead in spectacular fashion as Schuler, who once again caused problems down the right-hand side, swung in an inch-perfect cross to find the onrushing Mgangaduta. He made no mistake, slamming past the goalkeeper into the bottom corner.
Derby continued to press and built some momentum after the interval. Their pressure soon paid off and Worcester were undone for a second time as Mgangaduta got his second of the afternoon. The goalkeeper was once again left with no chance as the frontman curled a wonderful strike into the back of the net after being picked out by Josh Dolby.
With just under 15 minutes to play the visitors broke down the home side’s defensive resilience following a lapse in concentration which allowed Jack Tait space at the back post to half the deficit, bringing the opportunity to potentially snatch at least a point at the death.
Although, that hope soon turned to dejection as Derby restored their two-goal lead within just a matter of minutes. Dolby was at the heart of the move yet again as his searching through ball found Alex Goodall who fired past the keeper to wrap up all three points.
The result sees Derby move to the top of the league, which is certainly promising viewing for the team, as reiterated by captain Charlie Barlow after the whistle: “It was a good shift from the boys, and it’s brilliant to see because we’ve all worked so hard throughout the season and it’s just important that we keep going.
“One of my aims was to win the league, that was a big one and the boys are putting in a shift now so it’s important that we keep the momentum and keep going forward.”
