Ajax Treesdown FC 0 v 8 ManMark FC
Lilley bags four, as ManMark set off like a house on fire!
It was all smiles on Wednesday, in what turned out to be an un-pre-seasonlike Friendly! Blustering winds and showery spells did little to prevent ManMark FC from turning on the style to demolish last year's Division 2 runners up Ajax Treesdown.
It took all of 6 minutes for MMFC to get off the mark, with Chris Doson nodding down to the impressive debutant Adam Hilton, who dispatched a shot into the bottom left hand corner, leaving the keeper with no chance of making a save from 25 yards. Quickly after, it was 2-0, another debutant, this time Andreas Charalambous latched on to a loose ball in the area, before cooly finishing in the bottom corner.
There was some impressive football played by ManMark throughout, involving all players, with new Goalkeeper Ben Daniels playing a key part in bringing the ball out from the back, linking well with right-back Calum Anderson on a number of occasions.
On 22 minutes, a team move starting with the Daniels-Anderson combination, also involving Ideon, Hughes and Hilton found Dodson on the edge of the area, who slipped through to last seasons top goalscorer Rob Lilley, who made no mistake on his first attempt of the game. 3-0.
A complacent 5 minutes, gave the hosts a few chances on goal, however the superp Ben Daniels was up to the test, saving twice with his legs in David De Gea fashion, earning applause from all present.
A grip of the game was then restored, and on 37 minutes the Dodson-Lilley combination returned, with the latter firing home for his second of the game.
Half Time - Ajax Treesdown 0 v 4 ManMark FC
Jackson and MacLeod were introduced for the second half, and slotted in seamlessly to the passing philosphy set during the first half, and it didn't take long before Rob Lilley completed his first hat-trick of the season, finishing well from another Chris Dodson assist. Lilley then didn't waste any time in finding a fourth 8 minutes later.
on 71 minutes, Lewis Jackson spread the ball to the left hand side, where Charalambous drifted in, and passed his marker like he wasnt there, before smartly finishing in to the far corner, for what was arguably the most well taken goal of the game.
In the 76th minute the games only controversial moment came, Jackson found the head of Anderson at the back post from the corner flag, who then rose to dispatch a goalbound header, only for the ball to be stopped on the line, and smashed home by centre-back partner MacLeod. Jubilation from MacLeod, and a large shout of "Bastard" from Anderson, were soon silenced by the female Referee's whistle, adjudging MacLeod to be in an offside position.
The rout was then completed in the 86th minute, when the impressive midfield maestro Dom Hughes was layed on in the area by Chris Dodson, before making no mistake, cooly slotting the ball home.
Full Time - Ajax Treesdown 0 v 8 ManMark FC
ManMark FC XI - Daniels; Anderson, Holmes (MacLeod), Edwards (Jackson), Andrew; Dodson, Hughes, Ideon; Hilton, Lilley, Charalambous
Goals - Lilley (4), Charalambous (2), Hilton, Hughes
