In many ways, this game marked the culmination of the style of football that Lee Fowler has been working on with his team throughout the season, as they produced a sublime performance that was irresistible to watch, especially in the opposition half, as they ripped through the Ruthin defence time and time again with their fast flowing, slick one touch moves.
Fowler, orchestrating events on the touchline, like a poor man’s Yul Brynner (!) must have been delighted and proud as his sharpshooters mercilessly gunned down their opponents with a magnificent seven goals, whilst keeping a clean sheet in the process.
During the opening period, there was little sign of the onslaught that was to follow, as Ruthin started brightly and looked to match Flint. But the Silkmen broke the deadlock on the quarter of an hour mark, and from then on, they never looked back. A long throw from Jake Phillips was flicked on inside the box by Paddy Lacey and then met by Elliott Reeves who nodded home to continue his good scoring form of late.
Ruthin mounted a swift counter on 25 minutes, which almost got them back on terms, after their keeper, Stephen Roberts, had stuck out a leg to get a vital interception to prevent a Phillips ball setting up Reeves for his second. They broke swiftly up the other end and Joel Giblin was played in with a good through ball. But Rhys Williams was on hand to palm away Giblin’s effort and deny him the equaliser.
Flint returned to the attack and Reeves went close with a shot that just drifted past the Ruthin post. But then two goals in the space of two minutes swung the tide firmly in the favour of the home side.
Good pressure from Ben Wynne paid off when he won the ball and found Josh Jones, who hit an exquisite shot from 20 yards out that flew in the top of the net. Ruthin were still trying to recover from that setback, when Reeves surged down the right flank, before crossing to Jones, who gobbled up his second from close range.
Flint were now seemingly able to cut through the visitors defence at will, and they were putting together some quality attacking play. This was exemplified by an outstanding run by Luis Lacey, who ghosted through the middle of the park, with the ball seemingly stuck to his foot, before hitting a shot from just outside the box that flew just over to deny him what would have been a superb individual goal.
A minute later, Reeves seized on some poor defending, and rounded Roberts, but Vita Mbolokele, who committed the original mistake, did very well to get back and block Reeves’ shot just in front of the goal-line.
Flint got their fourth on 38 minutes, when Reeves spread the ball out to Phillips on the right, who delivered an inch perfect cross for the incoming Jones to notch a 10 minute hat trick against his former club.
Despite taking the opportunity to make four half time substitutions, the Silkmen carried on where they left off in the second period, hungry for more goals. On 51 minutes a long ball from Joe Williams was well taken by Wynne, who nodded it past a defender, run onto it and coolly finished past Roberts to make it 5-0.
Jay Owen got in on the goalscoring action on 58 minutes, when a cute little through ball from Reeves found him in space about 10 yards out, and he calmly picked his spot.
A well worked team goal rounded off the scoring on 66 minutes. The ball was played infield to Wynne from the left side, and he produced a defence splitting pass to send away Phillips on the right, whose cross was turned over the line by Reeves, to claim his second of the game, and his team’s seventh.
Reeves could also have been celebrating a hat trick a couple of minutes later, but his opportunistic lob from just outside the box, which had beaten Roberts, bounced just before the goal-line and up onto the bar rather than into the goal.
Flint could easily have ended the afternoon in double figures as they also had three one on one opportunities in the second half, but good goalkeeping by Roberts denied Mikey Burke, Harley Peagram and Reeves as they all broke through the Ruthin defensive line at various stages. Still, the Silkmen supporters who braved a cold afternoon, were well rewarded with the goals they did witness and the slick football that was on display.
Report by Nigel Sheen
Line Ups :
Flint Town United – R. Williams, J. Phillips, S. Forde (J. Williams 46), A. Stephens (c) (D. Harrison 46), L. Sirrell, P. Lacey (J. Owen 46), L. Lacey (M. Burke 61), B. Hughes, E. Reeves, B. Wynne, J. Jones (H. Peagram 46). Unused Subs – L. Murphy (GK), J-L Akpa-Akpro
Ruthin Town – S. Roberts, C. Butler, J. Nash (S. Jones 46), V. Mbolokele, E. Davies, O. Davies (c), J. Giblin (H. Martin 46), K. Pearson, L. Morris, G. Owen, J. Hampson (L. Molmans 59). Unused Subs – B. Hughes (GK), J. Clark
Flint MOM – Josh Jones (first half hat-trick hero against his old club)
