Lewis McBride scored a brace as Rugby Town eased to a comfortable win over second-bottom North Greenford United at Butlin Road.
Lewis Rankin’s third minute strike set for the tone for the game, and once Justin Marsden had doubled the lead midway through the first half, there was little doubt as to its outcome. Two Lewis McBride goals after the interval went on to wrap up the victory.
Greenford keeper Melvin Minter had already kept one goalbound effort from Rankin out with his legs, ahead of the 19 year old’s third goal for the club, which came when he ran onto Will Grocott’s through pass to skip round Minter and ease the ball into the empty net.
The visitors nearly squared things up immediately though, with Richard Morris pulling off a fine save to Anthony O’Connor’s strike, but this was to be a rare moment of threat from the Middlesex team.
Robbie Burns twice went close with decent efforts and Sam Youngs also sent a couple of dangerous crosses into the Greenford box, before Marsden made it two-nil when he followed up on a Burns’ shot which Minter had turned onto the post.
Minter denied Burns again with a low save to the midfielder’s strike to McBride’s pull-back, and the hosts continued to carve out further opportunities from wide positions – with Ben George flashing one across the face of the goal and Marsden lifting the ball over the bar from close range, after Rankin had executed a similar delivery to George’s.
Two half chances ahead of the interval for David Manu, the first of which was deflected wide of Morris’s post and the second easily gathered by Rugby’s keeper at least confirmed the away side had not given up all hope though.
It was a sluggish start to the second half by Town, and as a result Greenford had their best spell of the game – with O’Connor lifting one over the target and Alex Gudger blocking a decent effort from Daniel Udoh.
However when McBride opened his account for the season by showing good pace and strength in shrugging off his marker to then fire one past Minter for Valley’s third on 54 minutes, any lingering doubts were dispelled.
Rugby eased back and comfortably controlled the game from there on, with Burns heading one into the side netting, before McBride rounded off the scoring with a neat low finish after Rankin had showed quick feet on the edge of the Greenford box.
Valley line-up: Morris; George (Austin), Kelly, Rowley, Gudger; McBride, Grocott (Pritchard), Youngs, Burns; Marsden (Lake-Gaskin), Rankin. Subs not used: Banks. Booked: George.
Greenford line-up: Minter, Dart, Krasniai, Manitou, Austin, Lavender, Kinsella, Manu, Hutchinson, Udoh, O’Connor. Subs: Robinson, Vickers, Mohammed. |