City romp to victory as rivals lose ground

CHELMSFORD CITY 3

BISHOP'S STORTFORD 0

(Blue Square South)

CITY completely dominated this game from start to finish and really should have scored at least double the goals they did on Saturday against a Bishop's Stortford side, clearly weakened by the departures of several quality players because of the club's financial cutbacks.

But as manager Glenn Pennyfather rightly said afterwards City have dominated such games before, such as the recent home match with league leaders Newport County, and not gained their just rewards.

On Saturday they did with a comprehensive victory and the added bonus afterwards was to learn that most of their play-off rivals, with the exception of Bath City, all dropped points keeping City better placed.

"You don't always get what you deserve despite playing well and dominating for long periods like the Newport encounter," he said. "But we did and I felt it was an excellent, all round team performance.

"Yes, we should have scored more goals perhaps with a bit more composure in the final quarter of the pitch, but at least we were creating chances in the first place.

"At the end of the day you only get three points for a win no matter how many goals you score."

Star City man of the day was the lanky striker Rob Edmans, who had a hand in most of his side's more threatening moves all afternoon and deservedly put himself on the scoresheet drilling the ball low into the net after a headed knock-on on 71 minutes.

The watching Reading scout must have left impressed with Edmans' all round performance and his growing stature for someone so young at this level.

Clearly, from what we have seen in his progress this season, he has the ability to potentially play at a higher level with the right guidance and full-time training, but naturally City must keep hold of him now in the bid for a play-off place and possible promotion.

With young Ricky Holmes still capable of playing even better again with full-time training, City now have two current proteges being watched every week by football scouts.

On Saturday City controlled the game from start to finish and it was always a question of how many goals they would score, such was their all round superiority.

They took the lead on 13 minutes when Anthony Cook was upended heading towards goal and up stepped Matthew Lock to execute an excellent left-foot free-kick from the edge of the area into the far top corner of the net.

The Holmes-Edmans partnership up front proved to be a constant menace to the troubled visiting rearguard.

Six minutes before the interval it was Holmes who found the net for City's second goal as a neat through ball from Dave Rainford saw the youngster race clear in an on side position to drive the ball past 'keeper Nicky Morgan.

At the start of the second half City took their foot off the pedal a little while the visitors' cause was not helped by the dismissal of Laibas Lette-Jallow on 67 minutes for foul and abusive language to one of the assistant referees.

City still needed that third goal to effectively kill off the game as a contest and Edmans duly obliged and he could have had a couple more before he was substituted 10 minutes from time.

Further missed chances from Holmes, Ollie Berquez, Cook and substitute Jordan Pavett could have proved crucial on another day.

Rainford was only denied a goal against his former club when his bolt-like header was cleared off the line.

But City won and won comfortable and equally important kept a clean sheet with Pennyfather adding: "That was important too, not conceding a goal.

"No games are easy at this level and we'll continue to take each one as it comes.

"I know it's an old cliche but every game between now and the end of the season is a cup final for us."

This Saturday City face a long trek to the West Country to take on basement side Weston-Super-Mare, but Pennyfather is too experienced to know a win is a foregone conclusion.