West completed a league double over Berkhamsted Raiders with a comfortable 6-2 victory in freezing conditions, as they put in an excellent performance.

West started brightly, and in the first ten minutes there were chances for three of the attacking players to open the scoring, however Greg Springall, Scott Howlett and Jamie Heaffey all had their shots either saved, or they went just wide. It wasn’t long before the first goal came though, as after twelve minutes a great ball from Stuart Cole on the left wing, was finished by Greg with ease. Raiders, who are currently bottom of the league, didn’t let their heads drop though, and five minutes later they equalized after West failed to clear a free-kick. It didn’t remain level for long though as two minutes later West regained the lead in similar circumstances, as Ryan Rickard’s free kick gave Scott the chance to score from close range.

 

Ten minutes before half-time Matt Peckham scored with a great shot from 15 yards to make it 3-1, and despite possession being split fairly evenly in the first half, West were creating more openings and the Raiders keeper was certainly the busier.

 

 

The second half began with a goal in the first minute, as a corner by Matt was knocked on by Ryan R to Stuart, who scored from only a few yards out. West were playing some great football, and the midfield of Chris Welch, Matt, Ryan and Stuart were controlling events. Further chances were being created and a fifth goal soon arrived after a Ryan R laid the ball back to Greg on the edge of the area, and although his great shot hit the bar, bounced down and then came out, the linesman judged the ball to have crossed the line.

As the second half wore on, and with a comfortable victory in sight, West lost a bit of their shape and concentration, which allowed Raiders to grab a goal back as an excellent shot gave Alex Cobb in goal no chance. The final goal of the match came in the last minute as Matt’s corner was flicked on by Charlie Craigen for Chris to wrap things up. This was an excellent performance which contained some great passing moves that could have seen West reach double figures on another day.