Worksop Town return to winning ways against Leamington
Worksop Town cruised to a 2-0 victory over bottom of the league Leamington at the Windsor Foodservice Stadium.
Worksop overcame a slow start to score goals either side of half time and claim the points.
Manager Craig Parry was happy with how his side played, saying: “I was delighted with the win. We had a difficult week and we put the best side out we could, with players playing out of position that were magnificent.
“There was a lot of pressure and expectation on that game, and I thought they coped well, and were positive, brave and together.
“We’re going into a mini-league now with 10 games to go, which is an important period for us."
Leamington nearly made a surprise start when the ball dropped to Ethan Williams on the edge of the area, but he dragged his effort wide of the target.
The Tigers began to assert themselves after the break. A loose, dropping ball fell kindly for Luke Hall, whose driven strike forced a smart save.
The breakthrough came in the 23rd minute when Aleks Starcenko nudged the ball into the area for centre-back Sam Sanders, who calmly slotted into the bottom-right corner to claim his first goal for Worksop.
Hall continued to trouble the Leamington defence. After collecting a pass from Deegan Atherton, he attempted an audacious lob, only for Eddie Breary to claw the effort away. Breary was called into action again soon after, denying Luke Waterfall’s header from Oli Greaves’ corner as the captain nodded the ball back across goal.
A quieter spell followed, with clear-cut chances limited at both ends. But the Tigers struck again when Atherton’s long throw caused problems and Josh Wilde reacted quickest, firing a superb half-volley into the top-right corner to double the advantage.
Starcenko remained influential, surging down the left and delivering a cross for Vaughan Redford, whose header was bravely blocked by Dan Meredith.
There was also a welcome moment off the bench as Jay Rollins made his long-awaited return after 551 days out. He wasted no time making an impact, linking up cleverly with Redford before sending a dangerous ball into the box.
In the end, the Tigers secured a comfortable victory, scoring either side of half-time to claim all three points.
Attention now turns to another home fixture next weekend, as Hereford FC visit the Windsor Foodservice Stadium.