UCFB’s Men’s 2nd team smashed in eight goals in a dominant victory over a depleted Manchester College side last week, sending a message to the rest of the division.

Goals from six different players helped guide a strong UCFB side to a convincing victory as Manchester College struggled to cope with a barrage of attacking moves over the 90 minutes.

A goal within the first 30 seconds put UCFB on the front foot from the start, with pressure from the number 10, Manny, forcing the opposition into a defensive error. The winger jumped on the opportunity, cutting out a pass, before taking the ball around the opposition goalkeeper and finishing well.

End to end

The game was end to end for much of the first half, with Elliot Simpson being forced to make a number of top quality saves to stop Manchester College from pulling one back.

However, UCFB doubled their lead 10 minutes later, with Moziah Selassie slotting a shot into the bottom left corner. The number 7 caused trouble for the Manchester College’s defence throughout the game with his scintillating pace down the wing.

After the second goal, UCFB were put on the back foot for a 10-minute spell, with the visitors creating several chances, but the UCFB defence remained strong and they maintained their two goal lead.

Pulling ahead

After holding out, UCFB’s dangerous looking attack helped them add another goal to their tally. A headed clearance from a cross fell to Lewis Embleton, who hit the ball on the volley from the edge of the box to put them 3-0 up.

Another goal quickly followed, as Sam Dickov slotted home a low driven cross after a great bit of footwork down the left wing.

The second half began quietly, as both teams seemed to settle in to the game more. However, it only took another 15 minutes for UCFB to find a fifth goal and further strikes soon followed. Selassie again used his pace down the right wing before a nice passing move with Dickov saw the forward neatly finish into the bottom left hand corner.

UCFB’s sixth came just 10 minutes later; Mike Flannery’s screamer cannoning off the crossbar and falling into the path of Yann Illunga, who creatively put the ball in the net with his back to goal.

UCFB assistant manager Ryan Carter then found the back of the net after Dickov’s strike was parried into the air by Manchester College’s goalkeeper, with Carter using his striker’s instinct to beat the defenders to the ball and head it over the line.

No clean sheet

UCFB’s hopes of holding out for a clean sheet were shattered 10 minutes later after a quick counter attack caught the UCFB defence by surprise, and saw the Manchester College striker finish neatly from inside the box.

The final goal of the game came when Carter picked up the ball on the left and, after showing some good footwork, finding Dickov who put the ball away from the penalty spot.

The performance demonstrated the UCFB Men’s 2nd team’s potential to achieve big things this season.