Hamble Club 0 Colden Common 5
RICHARD LANG was a relieved man on Saturday night - he scored his hundredth goal for Common after being stuck on 99 since the start of the season.
The livewire hitman scored a hat-trick against DC AFC back in August, but those goals were expunged when DC withdrew from the league. Amazingly, Lang hadn't scored since then, but he found the net on Saturday after what must be the longest goal-drought in his career.
Common played some excellent football, and all but had the game won in the first ten minutes. Simon Stillwell, impressive all afternoon down the right flank, whipped in a cross on two minutes. Ross Lewis, Common's close-season signing from Micheldever, chalked up his first goal in Common colours by poking the ball through the keeper's legs.
Three minutes later Lang reached his milestone, sidefooting the ball across the keeper and in at the far post after good work by Joe Hodge on the left.
Common almost made it three when Atterbury and Lang both just failed to reach a Stillwell cross.
Hamble almost pulled one back with a thumping header from a corner, but Dave Nicol made a remarkable save to tip the ball to safety.
On the stroke of half-time Atterbury headed Common's third from a cross by Lang, who'd cut in from the right.
Hamble rallied briefly after the break, but their flurry of attacks gradually died down and Common went on to complete a nap hand.
Stillwell's free kick gave leading scorer Dean Higgins the chance to flick his side's fourth goal past the keeper, and Higgins set up Hodge for a well-earned fifth.
The win moves Common up to fifth place, but there's a gap of five points to Fleetlands in fourth.
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