Goals aplenty in Sunday league as North Watford score nine in cup victory

Yahoo

18-02-2025

It was another morning of goals galore in the Watford Sunday League as 75 were scored in just 12 games, an average of 6.25 goals per match as six players also netted hat-tricks.
For the second week running North Watford banged in nine goals as they beat Third Division promotion contenders Chorleywood Club AFC 9-3.
An upset looked to be on the cards when Andy Pryor gave Chorleywood an early lead but the Premier Division leaders hit back with four goals before the break from Ashley Lewis, Gurkan Gokman, Bertie Saunders and James Mullane.
They then put the game out of sight as Saunders completed his treble with further goals from Lewis, Lee Armitt and Jamie Speer.
Chorleywood scored two late consolations as Pryor completed his hat-trick.
A last-minute winner saw Hertfordshire Atheltic knock out West Herts. (Image: Supplied)
There were no upsets in the third round as the four clubs expected to win did so.
Two Premier Division sides with home advantage, Evergreen and St Josephs, both progressed against lower-ranked opponents.
Evergreen beat Second Division Batchworth 3-0 after Max Sahota opened the scoring following a melee in the box from a corner in the first half.
The win was wrapped up after the break thanks to a penalty converted by Joss Dunham and a one-on-one finish from Tom Verbana.
St Josephs put five unanswered goals past First Division Sparta Phoenix, who had chances to draw level in the first half after going behind early on.
Lewis Putman scored twice with the other goals coming from Owen Deamer, Dan Griggs and Chris Blunden.
Hertfordshire Athletic were again the team in the mood for cup goals and drama, this time they won the all-Second Division tie against West Herts 4-3.
Athletic took the lead after a Sam Nelmes cross was turned home by Max Davies.
The advantage was doubled when a Chris Frater cross was hooked home by Jack McLaughlin.
West Herts pulled one back after a defensive mix-up left Dylan Caton with an open goal just before the break.
The Stags levelled in the second half when Caton scored his second, this time turning in a cross, and he completed his hat-trick after the ball was nodded back across the goal for another simple tap in.
However, Athletic, who are gaining a deserved reputation for never giving in this season, levelled the tie when James Hicks clipped the ball out wide to Henry Gibbor who ran clear and squared for Cory Sayers to tap home.
With penalties looming for a second successive week, Athletic snatched victory in the last minute when Gibbor scored from an Ed Rogers cross.
In the tie between the leaders of divisions two and three, it was Woodside who ran out 5-1 winners against Bricket Wood Acorns.
The home side took the lead after ten minutes through Jamie Dunlop's header.
Josh Towle then doubled Woodside's advantage nine minutes later after breaking clear following a Tom Garratt flick-on.
Ellis Constantinou made it 3-0 with a 25-yard strike just before the half hour mark, but Acorns pulled a goal back before half-time from Harrison Fisher.
Constantinou added two more goals to complete his hat-trick in the first nine minutes of the second half.
More action from Hertfordshire Athletic's cup success. (Image: Supplied)
With leaders Forza Watford not in action, St Joseph's Reserves took the chance to cut the advantage at the top of the table to five points, with a game in hand, as they beat bottom-placed Watford Town 5-4 in a thriller.
Joes took the lead thanks to an Anton Collins penalty before Umayr Anwar levelled with a well-taken finish after Adam Anwar slid the ball into his path.
It was then Joes' turn to take control as Collins was put through on the left and pulled the ball back for Mitchell Tearle, who finished with a shot low into the corner.
Dillon Hemington then finished from 12 yards before Collins made it 4-1.
Despite being reduced to nine men, United battled back thanks to a Nitharshan Sellathurai header, only for Tearle to restore the three-goal cushion.
United were not finished though, as Daanyaal Anwar converted a penalty and Sellathurai completed his brace.
Third-placed Watford Town beat Watford Youth Sports 1st 2-1.
After a goalless first half, it was Sports who went ahead early in the second period when Kyle Davis flicked the ball through for Luke Carey, who made no mistake from close range.
They held that lead until the final ten minutes when a shot was blocked by the keeper into Alieu Gibril's path to tap home, and soon after Laurence Manning was brought down for a penalty which Alex Diaz converted.
Everett Rovers kept in the promotion race as they beat Chess United 4-3.
It looked to be an easy morning for Everett as they took a 3-0 lead into the break thanks to Lucas Roberts and a brace from Emmanuel Ojeah.
Chess pulled a goal back from Sam Blackwood, Everett added to their tally through a header from Thomas Horton before Blackwood completed his hat-trick with two more goals.
With the top two teams in cup action, the big game in the division saw two of the other promotion contenders face off as Watford Youth Sports 2nd moved above their opponents WD Bushey Rangers Reserves into third place in the table with a 4-0 victory.
Gabriel Wright was Sports' star performer as he struck a hat-trick, opening the scoring with a clinical finish after a weighted pass from Oliver Frost.
The second goal came from another superb piece of play by Frost.
After receiving a pass from Louie Munci, Frost spotted Wright's run and delivered a lobbed pass behind the defence, Wright latched onto it and coolly slotted a low drive past the advancing keeper.
After enduring a period of heavy pressure, Sports rounded off the win with two goals in the final 18 minutes.
Jack Darnell-Brown produced a solo run from his own half, beating two defenders before unleashing a shot that was blocked with the rebound falling perfectly to Freddy Emmanuel Mocto, who rifled a low drive into the net from around 20 yards out.
With ten minutes left, Callum Shellard's pass allowed Aldo Petagine to deliver a pin-point cross into the six-yard box where Wright met it with a composed side-footed finish to complete his hat-trick.
Langleybury beat Inter 6-2 with Robbie Edgar and Tom Hedger both netting doubles, alongside goals from Ashley Defries and Toby Dixon. Tom Caton and Sorin Craciun replied for Inter.
The win for Langleybury leaves them eight points clear of the bottom two.
Once again this season, the bottom division is proving it is the most open and competitive in the league.
FC Railway would have fancied their chances at home to Surely Wood, but it was the visitors who ran out 5-2 winners.
Brett Fincham, Jordan Woodcock, George Barnett, Darius Murray and Keith McAspurn netted for the victors, with Nathan Tannian and Tom Coleman replying.
Abbots Wanderers moved four points clear of the bottom two as they beat second-from-bottom Dome Bar 3-1, Tim Bracq, Matt Zanders and Jake Mepham with the goals, with Antwone Inglis replying.
This win means the top seven clubs in the division are now separated by just nine points.