Sebastopol 0

SEVEN different players scored in Mathern's Gwent County League Division 2 match, giving the team their biggest win of the season and continuing a winning streak over the side that pipped them to the Third Division title last season.

Mathern were fired up from the start and, with the club's other two teams not playing, manager Dean Thomas had a wealth of riches to pick from.

Sam Davies gave Mathern an early lead, arriving at the far post to steer home a free-kick from the left and Ieuan Diyaolu scored his first of the season with a tap-in from a yard out.

Elliot Greening scored the third with another tap-in after Sebastopol's stand-in keeper Luke Penteney could only parry a corner.

Sebastopol were offering little in reply but when they did threaten down the middle, Mathern's central defenders Gary Baker and Andrew Skuse proved too strong and when they tried to go down the flanks, Billy Jeffery and Adam Morrissey were rarely troubled.

After the break, the visitors did mount a greater threat but still found it hard to penetrate a solid defence and frustrations grew as their team spirit collapsed.

Wayne Duffield, handed a place on the bench, repaid the manager by scoring the fourth, turning onto a through ball and despatching a low shot past the keeper.

Industrious winger Connor Hayden – who had earlier scooped a goal-bound effort off the line – added the fifth after the keeper fumbled a corner.

The final 15 minutes saw a demoralised Sebastopol suffer two more setbacks from the penalty spot after Richard Wood was twice brought down.

Penteney managed to get a hand on Alex Bell's spot-kick but could only deflect it into the roof of the net and then Wood picked himself up to hammer home the seventh.

"It was our best performance by a mile," said manager Thomas.

"To win 7 - 0 in the Gwent County Division 2 is a cracking result any day of the week.

"The lads showed a great attitude and team spirit and to have seven different scorers shows it was a real team performance.

"It was hard to pick a man of the match, but Rich Wood shaded it for his work rate as well as his quality play. They worked hard so let's keep it going."

Mathern are away to table-topping Malpas United on Saturday and have been drawn against them in the third round of the Gwent Amateur Cup.