Belper 3 - Doncaster 0
Scorers: Nick Morris (3)
Nick Morris rolled back the years to give the Nailers the perfect start to their second half of the EHL North Conference season. With the Derbyshire side hovering just above the relegation zone, with 8 games to save themselves, points against Doncaster were vital. Nick Morris grabbed the headlines with a superb hat-trick to move the Nailers further away from the drop zone, although Lamb wanted to focus on the contribution from the whole team. "Today was about the team, Nick Morris scored the goals, but the boys were all magnificent" stated Ben Lamb, Head Coach. "Chris Hall had a fantastic game today, along with the rest of the defenders". "The influence of Richard Kitchen and James Blackwell in midfield was also key". "I'm delighted with how we played today".
The game started brightly for the home side as they looked to build on their good form from the past couple of weeks. With tails up Belper were quickly on the front foot as Doncaster struggled to cope with the pace in which the hosts moved the ball from defence to attack. Assured in defence and in control of possession, Belper carved out numerous good openings in the first 10 minutes, the most noticeable falling to the in form Tom Sherratt who scuffed his shot with the goal at his mercy only to see the Doncaster keeper recover to clear. Luke Davies then came close as he turned on the reverse to fire a shot against the upright. The introduction of Nick Morris after 20 minutes proved instrumental, with Belper looking to get on the front foot it was Morris that provided the perfect tonic. With 32 minutes on the clock Morris broke into the circle and although forced wide he managed to squeeze a reverse stick shot into the corner of the net to give the Nailers a 1-0 halftime lead.
The second half continued much the same as the first as Belper stayed on the front foot. A brief 5 minute revival from Doncaster caused the Nailers a few worrying moments until Nick Morris grabbed his second goal of the game in the 49th minute to give the home side some breathing space. A superb pass from James Blackwell found Morris who rounded the keeper and slotted in on the angle. With Belper now in full control, further chances came and went and with Doncaster struggling to contain their opponents. 6 minutes later Morris added Belper's third goal and completed his hat-trick as he picked the ball up in the circle, moved the ball onto his reverse and sent another shot into the corner of the net. It was just reward for a player who has given so much to Belper over the years and showed just what you can still achieve at the age of 40! The game finished 3-0 and to be fair it could have been more. Belper now travel to Harborne next week looking to build on their good start. With 3 points in the bag, Belper know they will need to play equally as well next weekend if they are to get the same result.