Green Lions fall flat as Villains run riot

Hanworth Villa were left with only thirteen available players as they travelled to Guernsey for a rearranged match last night- and two of them, who started from the bench, were new signings yet to make a debut. It wasn’t the best preparation for the longest journey of the season- but in the end it really didn’t matter, as all thirteen played their part in a five-nil hammering of the Green Lions.

The rout began after just two minutes, when Sam Merson scored his fifteenth goal of the season. By the end, that tally was to rise substantially, and his second arrived just before the break, a shot from distance beating Greens keeper Christian Povall- who was making only his second start of the season, the first coming back in August.

That looked to be that for the first half, only, as it turned out, it wasn’t! Into stoppage time and Merson was at it again, firing home for his hat trick and to ensure the match was effectively over as a contest. Just after the hour mark the visitors got a fourth, Sam Mead with that one- and nine minutes from time the visitors got a fifth, and- of course- it was Merson once more finding the target, once more a goal that was very much all his own work.

The Villains are up to eighth- twelve points away from a top five spot but hoping to make a late run after topping the six match form table. The Green Lions are fifteenth, and have seen a fine run which saw them win four of five come crashing to an end. They have now lost three in a row- three matches which have seen them concede fifteen goals- and to make things worse still, each of the three was in front of their own fans.

Roary the Lion -pictured courtesy of the visitors- perhaps summed up the feelings of the home fans by being unable to look.

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