Malmesbury Victoria hit four past Ludlow
Malmesbury Victoria FC went into Saturday’s match sitting in eighth place, level on 28 points with hosts Ludlow Town FC but importantly with a game in hand. The sides had met at the start of December, when Ludlow came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw, so there was every expectation of another tight encounter.
The Vics made the brighter start. Just 10 minutes in, Ash Taylor knocked the ball up the wing, finding the head of George Evatt. He flicked it neatly into the path of LJ Bexon-Shaw, who was positioned on the edge of the box. Spotting the goalkeeper off his line, he lifted the ball high towards goal. The keeper scrambled backwards, but the effort had more than enough on it to drop over him and into the net.
There were no further goals before the break, although George Evatt twice went close as he continued his search for a much-wanted goal.
Early in the second half, Ludlow thought they had equalised, only for the referee to rule the effort out for handball.
Minutes later, the Vics doubled their lead. A long-range free kick from Josh Hughes dropped perfectly at the feet of George Evatt. With a sharp turn of his body, he then drove the ball firmly into the back of the net.
The third goal came courtesy of LJ Bexon-Shaw. A long ball forward sent him racing beyond the defender, and once he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he calmly slotted his finish past him.
Malmesbury’s fourth was this time created down the right. Using his pace, Omaree Cox burst into space before exchanging passes with Ellis McSharry. Cox then whipped a dangerous ball into the box, where LJ Bexon-Shaw was waiting to head home, completing his hat‑trick. His second this week, after also scoring three in Tuesday’s 4-0 victory away at Carterton in the UHL Floodlit Cup. Player-manager Mani Roper, who captained the side on the day, helped guide the Vics through the closing stages.
The final whistle confirmed an impressive 4-0 win for Malmesbury Victoria FC.
Report and pictures by George Wadsworth
