A dominant performance in the Bushell Cup from Old Xaverians B

Old Xaverians put five past River

Ifan Jones Reporting...

Old Xaverians B Team have beaten River Junior OA 3rds as Jordan Locket bagged a hat-trick.

In the league, Xavs are top of League Two with only three games left to be played and River are in 7th place.

The last time the sides clashed, the Xaverians were victorious with a 3-0 win.

Both sides started a little tentatively as they felt each other out with a few attempts from distance.

Dave Seddon started impressively from the Old Xaverians on the right-hand side, showing how capable he is with both his left and right feet that gave him the option to cut inside or go round the outside.

Xaverians, the home team, started to impose themselves and Lockett was a threat from early on with his battling nature and physicality.

They pressed high with the energy of Owen and Jamie in the middle of park who covered every blade of grass in their box-to-box roles and were also comfortable in possession.

It was Lockett who won the ball back high up the pitch for the Xavs and managed to set up Danny McGuinness to open the scoring midway through the first half.

River Junior struggled to cause any trouble near their opponent’s box which will have been frustrating because they were fairly effective in possession up until the final third.

The visitors started better after half-time than what they showed in the first half, imposing themselves more and they created a couple of chances but didn’t overly worry the Xavs’ keeper.

At the hour mark, Lockett got his goal as he latched onto a ball over the top, narrowly beating the offside trap and going round the keeper to tap into an open net albeit under pressure from a defender close behind.

He scored again after winning a penalty but missing it and converting it on the rebound and later scored his third of the game with a tidy finish from the edge of the box.

Things didn’t quite come together for River, this showed and by the end of the game they left more and more gaps in defence in an attempt to get a goal.

These gaps were eventually punished by John Harkin as his striker hit the post and slowly dribbled behind the keeper and over the line to give them their fifth goal of the evening.

A win for the Xaverians B Team gives them three points and a second win in the cup and a first defeat for River halts their momentum.

The Xavs’ manager, Kenny Jones was full of positives afterwards...

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