FROLESWORTH United continued their blistering start to the season after their best performance so far saw the Rabbits inflict a crushing 7-1 defeat on local rivals Lutterworth Town at a packed Kimcote Road as Jordan Halford's side made it four successive wins and equalled the club's highest win in the process.
Callum Wills opened the scoring after a tentative opening 20 minutes when he was on hand to convert Andy Morris' sweeping low cross, before Sam Young dispatched a brace of penalties in quick succession. Max Jones, who returned from Spain barely nine hours prior to kick-off, ensured the points remained safe three minutes before the break with a powerful long-range drive, before Dominic Ivens registered his second of the campaign three minutes after the restart.
Jones went one better just 60 seconds later, curling a sumptuous effort beyond former United keeper Jordan Smith from 25-yards to hit Town for six, but the visitors replied with a spot-kick of their own after Harry Shervington was harshly adjudged to have pushed Tommy Jacques in the box. But debutant Nathan Bedford would have the final say, as he stroked home a deserved seventh nine minutes after the hour mark to put the seal on another frightful United attacking display.
The interim manager was once again unable to name the same side that dispatched CSKA Carnaby's last week, as both Dan Morrow and Steven Bottom were on holiday while new signing Ben Hallam and Joshua van Allen both remained sidelined through injury. Martin Fennon was once again inexplicably absent for the second successive week as his Frolesworth career continues to spiral out of control, but captain Mark James returned to the side, with Morris relocating to right-back and Filipino playmaker Ivens returning alongside the combative Chris Capell in midfield after his omission at Loughborough Road.
The 'fantastic four' in attack unsurprisingly remained unchanged, while Cam Rhind, Miles Splevings and debutant Bedford all returned to the bench alongside last week's goalscoring hero Jack Frake. It was the first sign of autumn drawing nigh as blustery conditions greeted the Alliance League new boys in Gilmorton and predictably, as with most local derbies, the game began at a frenetic pace with referee Clive Bruce dealing with a litany of petulant tackles.
Goalkeeper Luke Evans registered his first clean sheet of the season last week, but he was forced to survive an early scare after him and Mark Baker got in a mix up, with the latter over-hitting a back pass which Evans had little choice but to handle inside the box but from the ensuing indirect free-kick, Barnes Gladman bravely blocked a goal-bound effort.
But from here on in, United awoke from their slumber and once again began to carve out chances almost at will before opening the scoring with their first real chance of menace. Admittedly, there was an air of fortune during the build up as the ball appeared to ricochet off Gladman's arm but once the marauding Morris had evaded the attentions of the Town back-four, he sent an inviting ball across the face of the goal for the onrushing Wills to comfortably convert from inside the six-yard box.
After another slow start, it was a huge relief to the home side but predictably, they soon began to cruise through the gears as Jones and Young set about securing another vital three points and when the former was brought down in the box by a former Rabbit Matt Pell, Young stepped up to slam home his fourth goal of the season from the penalty spot with aplomb in the 36th minute.
He would get another chance barely three minutes later too, when Wills was this time upended in the box and coolness personified, Young calmly stroked the ball into the bottom corner leaving Smith once again with no chance. But with half-time approaching, United weren't content with a three-goal lead and Jones, who has been a revelation since his arrival, illustrated his seemingly endless ability as after receiving the ball from Gladman 25-yards out, he effortlessly drilled home to continue his recent goalsscoring spell.
Halford was visibly delighted with his side's performance in the first half, but the interim boss knew there was more left in the tank in the second 45 and within four second-half minutes, his side had hit a deflated Town side for six. Ivens was benched last week after missing United's 5-2 win over Desford, but the Filipino was excellent on his return to the side and he got the goal his performance merited in the 48th minute before Jones got the pick of the bunch when he curled home a delightful effort from outside the box yet again.
It enabled the manager to make two changes before the hour mark, as Bedford returned to the club after a brief hiatus with Royale Barcabullona and Rhind replaced the industrious Gladman. But United began to stutter and Evans' hopes of a second successive clean sheet were dashed just after the hour when Shervington was bizarrely adjudged to have infringed Jacques from a corner and Macauley Laywood dispatched the game's third spot kick for Rodney Jacques' youngsters.
But the Rabbits were soon back on the offensive and with 20 minutes to go, Bedford put the icing on the cake as the home side equalled their club record highest win when Young set his team-mate free in the box and the new signing capped his return by stoking home. There was still time for Splevings to make his first appearance of the season at the expense of the mesmeric Jones, but in spite of a clutch of chances United couldn't reach double figures.
Nonetheless, United's performances are slowly improving and having taken maximum points in their opening four fixtures, Halford's side have the chance to open up a five point gap atop the Division Two summit when they travel to Oadby Owls next week in a top of the table clash.
One step at a time.
