Andover 5 Blackfield & Langley 0

BLACKFIELD boss Terry Smith ended up with egg on his face after suggesting last week that the Lions are only playing for the money and had no heart for the game.

Smith made his comments in a newspaper column last week but he was made to eat his words as Ken Cunningham Brown's JWL champions took Blackfield to the cleaners in difficult conditions with a third hat-trick in as many games from goal machine Andy Forbes.

Once he had completed his latest treble Forbes was taken off for future battles ahead with the Lions facing another three games in the next seven days but his replacement Paul Odey also knows a thing or two about putting the ball into the back of the net, and he promptly did just that with him on the score sheet with the Lions fifth goal just two minutes after coming on.

The other goal was the pick of the bunch and was probably the most decisive with enigmatic winger Shaun Dyke flooring Blackfield with a brilliant solo effort to put the Lions 2-0 up early in the second half.

The high-octane Lions may be among the highest paid in the JWL but were clearly upset at Smith's claims that although they were the best side in the league football-wise they were playing out of their pockets whereas his side played out of their hearts.

Blackfield had chalked up four straight victories since Andover beat them 3-2 in the home leg of the League Cup a fortnight previously but they were firmly put in their place as a rampaging Lions ran them ragged.

KCB was forced to do a little tinkering with the side as his squad was down to the bare bones with Glen Damen suspended, Danny Mattingley unavailable and Lloyd Webber switching clubs for the fourth time this season with the midfield powerhouse joining Nationwide Conference side Woking in midweek.

The Andover management team was disappointed that Webber went without a word to anyone at the town club, especially after all their efforts in sorting out his problems with former club Fareham and then bringing him back for a second spell after joining Brockenhurst duing the close season. "I'm always delighted when any player goes on to play at a higher level but I thought he could have let us know he was going," said KCB.

Rumour has it that Woking made the 21-year-old Webber a financial offer he couldn't refuse but whether he's good enough to play in the Conference only time will team but the Lions hardly missed him against Blackfield with the whole side firing on all cylinders with Keiron Drake, Matt Crossley, Spencer Walsh, Dave Asker, Shaun Dyke, Vince Rusher and Forbes all having superb games.

Drake, with his confidence back, deserved his clean sheet as the Lions owed much to his early reflex save to keep out a goal-bound header from the game's first corner and Crossley, who came in for the suspended Damen, looked as though he had been playing alongside skipper Danny Barker all season as he kept a tight rein on the aerial menace of Blackfield's experienced striker John Rowley.

Walsh covered the ground and won all the big tackles while Blackfield never got to grips with the darting runs of the outstanding Asker and he too could easily have had a hat-trick had his finishing matched his approach work while up front Rusher and Forbes always looked a danger. Dyke was also up for the game but his showboating late in the game riled the opposition and was only the was only black mark on what was an outstanding team effort.

Warminster referee Neil Francis had a long hard look at the pitch before giving the go ahead but although frozen in places it was always playable with the only difficult spot being in front of the main stand. The first half was fiercely fought but the Lions adapted much better to the conditions with their slick passing and were well worth their 1-0 lead at the break with Forbes having broken the stalemate on 24 minutes when he went clear to slot home between the legs of the visiting 'keeper as he came off his line.

Andover might easily have gone it at half time with a three or four goal lead but put the game beyond Blackfield's reach with two goals in five minutes immediately after the changeover. "I told them we wanted an early goal in the second half but they went and scored two," joked KCB.

Dyke's stunning second goal in successive games killed them off two minutes after the restart, beating two defenders with impudent ease before racing into the area and rolling the boss inside the near post to give the Lions a two-goal cushion.

Rusher showed superb skill and vision in the area to set up Forbes to pass the ball into the net when making it 3-0 and Forbes then duly completed yet another hat-trick with him once again in the right place to add the finishing touch in the 62nd minute for the fourth goal after Asker scampered clear on the left to set up the opening.

He departed three minutes later but substitute Odey took only two minutes before he added his name to the score sheet when he swooped onto a loose ball in the area after the 'keeper had charged down a shot from Rusher - just moments after Drake had denied Blackfield a consolation with another excellent save when diving to his right to keep out a well struck free kick.

With a heavy fixtures load in the New Year - the Lions have eight games scheduled for January - KCB plans to bring in a couple of new players as suspensions and injuries kick in. Rusher is suspended this week and Dyke also faces a lengthy ban but KCB is unperturbed at the heavy fixture load.

"You can only play one game at a time and can only play the opposition put in front of you," he said. "If we were not behind with our fixtures it would mean we were out of all the cups but we're still in three cup competitions and are also still in contention for the league," he said.

This Saturday the Lions are away to Hamble in the JWL and on Boxing Day have their annual Christmas local derby with Whitchurch, with the game at Longmeadow next Wednesday kicking-off at 11am.

Andover (4-4-2): Drake; Freeman, Barker, Crossley, Bicknell; Kennedy, Asker, Walsh, Dyke; Rusher, Forbes. Sub: Odey (for Forbes 64 mins).