Sheffield Reserves 0-8 Retford United (Central Midlands League Premier Division North) 30.10.21

A third straight win on the road, and after consecutive victories where they scored three in each, Liam Kay’s Badgers ran riot in Yorkshire, at the Home of Football Stadium, visiting Sheffield FC Reserves, notching eight without reply.

Hat-tricks from both Mark West, and the in-form Aaron Fell, and a brace from Liam Frost, continued the impressive run the high-flying Badgers support have witnessed of late.

After a quiet, opening quarter, the game sprung into life with the first of two, devastating spells in front of goal, Fell opening the scoring from eight yards out which the home ‘keeper, Martin Newberry, failed to reach, and the ball goes in off the post.

Within minutes, the lead was doubled, Mason Barlow lofted the ball over to Daniel White at the far post, who, in turn, put the ball back across goal for West to the ball into an open net from close range.

Seven minutes after the opener, the Badgers were three to the good, a potential title challenge gathering momentum, this time Frost getting in on the action, he supplying a decent finish, also from eight yards out, in the same spot as the previous two goals.

Leading by three at the interval, the Badgers had to wait until the hour mark before the fourth was registered, thus beginning a second, devastating, seven-minute spell, this yielding four goals.

The floodgates opened on the hour when Frost was brought down in the box, the resulting spot-kick being despatched a minute later, West firing home with consummate ease, before two in a matter of minutes put the game out of sight.

West crossed for Frost to net his second of the game on 62 minutes and, following a substitution from the visitors, Fell doubled his tally for the game, notching number five, hitting the ball from distance and watching as it flew straight into the bottom, left-hand corner, past the hosts’ substitute ‘keeper, Niall Edge.

A great run of form in front of goal for Retford’s strike-force was encapsulated on 67 minutes when, who else but West would be the first to a hat-trick, and in some style as he volleys home beautifully from the edge of the box.

As the hosts posted themselves, a game of ‘men against boys’ was completed with a little over ten minutes left, Fell adding his third of the game when collecting a cross from Dean Conway, heading home at the back post.

The victory was enough, for now at least, to put the Badgers top of the table, by a point over Club Thorne Colliery, and two over Newark Town, they having games in hand (Thorne Colliery saw their match postponed, and Newark suffered defeat away to St Joseph’s Rockware of Worksop).

Following five games out of their last six on the road, Retford United return to their Cannon Park for the next two outings, with home games against Clay Cross Town, and Newark Town, on November 6 and 13 respectively.

Retford United: Tom Crosby, Jay Paling (Tom Brook 42), Daniel White, Daniel Booth, Stuart Ludlam, Mason Barlow (Kosi Nwobi 64), Aaron Fell, Adam Daughtrey, Brandon Kane, Mark West (Dean Conway 72), Liam Frost.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @TomRoberts Mark West netted a hat-trick for the Badgers.