ASHBY IVANHOE 12-0 HIGHFIELD RANGERS
LEICESTERSHIRE SENIOR LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION 
SATURDAY 17TH DECEMBER 2011

Ashby Ivanhoe overcame difficult conditions to totally dominate their Leicestershire Senior League match against Highfield Rangers and they went into the Christmas break with a 12-0 victory with Mitch Jordan leading the way with five goals.

The first half started with Ashby on the front foot but it took until the 15th minute before they went close to the opening goal when a cross from the right saw Dan Stevenson slide in but his shot was wide of the far post but seconds later though and he did find the net when another cross into the area was headed back into his path and he fired the ball into the net.

Ashby were given an opportunity to double their advantage midway through the first half when they were awarded a penalty after Phil Gibson was brought down inside the area and he picked himself up to take the penalty but the keeper dived the right way to turn the ball round the post.

The lead was doubled on the half hour mark when Jordan scored his first of the match. The move started with right back John Smith when his low ball forward was taken into the area by Stevenson and after going wide of goal he played the ball back into the danger area for Jordan to apply the finish.

Ashby made it 3-0 eight minutes before the break when a ball over the defence found Jamie Yeomans and the slightest of touches saw the ball creep past the keeper and over the line and then three minutes later it became four when Luke Thorogood played the ball to Jordan on the left of the area and his low powerful shot across goal found the far corner to make it 4-0 at the break.

The second half saw the conditions worsen as the pitch became more of a mud-bath with frequent showers an added factor and it was Ashby who coped the better to run in eight goals. The first came in the 48th minute when a short corner was played to Jordan and his attempted shot found Yeomans at the back post and his header back towards goal was forced home by Thorogood.

Seven minutes later and Jordan completed his hat-trick when a break forward saw him pass the ball square to Gibson on halfway who advanced towards goal and after the keeper came out to narrow the angle he played a simple ball back across the area for Jordan to put the ball in the empty net.

The hour mark saw the seventh Ashby goal which was a bit fortunate as the Highfield keeper’s clearance went straight to Stevenson who had the simplest of finishes for his second goal of the match and the goals continue to flow and with twenty minutes remaining the next player on the scoresheet was Ashby’s leading scorer Gibson who received a pass from Stevenson who had won the ball off a defender and the shot was struck past the keeper to make it 8-0.

Four minutes later it became 9-0 when another corner was played short and from the left Thorogood played the ball to the back post where Gibson sent a header towards goal and Chris Nettel and substitute Jack Willars both went for the ball but it was the latter who got the final touch.

In the next eight minutes Jordan added his fourth and fifth goals when he fired a powerful shot into the roof of the net at the back post and then from the edge of the area he beat a defender before sending the shot beyond the keeper for 11-0.

In the last ten minutes the opposition keeper made a number of saves to stop Ashby from extending their lead but in the final minute they added one final goal and again Jordan was involved but this time it was his low cross into the area which was put away by Gibson for his second of the match and complete an emphatic victory which saw Ashby’s keeper John Noon a spectator for the entire 90 minutes with not a save to make and with half the season now completed Ashby will go into the second half looking to continue their fine run of form and move further up the table.