FREDS GO FORWARD IN TIME

After a winter of discontent, Wantage Town Football Club's future gave their supporters a glimpse of things to come, and just in time!

The Freds travelled to Cutteslowe Park to take on Summertown in a game that would unjustly relegate them to the C League, or represent a defining moment in survival that could potentially catapult them to greater things moving forward.

When a group of young men are faced with adversity, it asks a question of their mettle - step up, or give up? And how pleasing it is to see characters leave a few inches taller. A growing stature, hard earned.

The Freds needed to win, and they needed to win by an impressive margin - three goals or more preferably. They had eighty minutes in which to inflict damage and they wasted none of it.

Matthew Lambe hit a speculative effort from range that favoured the brave, with the keeper losing a sense of its trajectory as the ball skipped off the hardened turf.

Jonny 'Hitman' Hall afforded Summertown no respite and raced clear to clinically finish just inside the upright.

Guy Woolley, the hoops' puppeteer, creatively pulled strings to fashion a show worthy of a lofty ticket price, and all the characters danced. The midfield general found the Alfredian Assassin from range and he fired a third.

Summertown were afforded a consolation when they forced a goal from a corner kick, but never really looked to be a serious threat to Lewis Jordan's goal. Roan Stillion, Harry Buckland, Will Beynon and Jacob Haines were switched on at the back, and sharp focus allowed them to nullify any red and white striped intent.

Matthew Lambe, Guy Woolley, Matty Goodman and Joe George worked tirelessly to maintain a high tempo, continuously carry a threat in number, and recover quickly out of possession.

Twice, George Santacana-Melvin almost added to the tally before the interval. Hitman Hall constantly threatened, and both Matty Goodman and Guy Woolley hit spectacular efforts from distance.

The midfield exchanges were smart, and opportunities to break a line of defence with a surging run were exercised.

In the second half, Christiano Marsh and Jake Stewart seamlessly joined in, both unfortunate not to score. Marsh flashed a fierce right-footed drive inches over, and Stewart forced a classy save with a good header.

The Freds were worth double figures by the end of the eighty, but the fourth only arrived after much persistence.

For most, a scrappy goal, but I saw advanced craft. The Freds, in tight space, intricately and cleverly conspired to manifest a 'Hitman Hat-trick'. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, drunk with euphoria, I undoubtedly witnessed a kind of 'deft delight' from close range!

Matthew MacDonald and Alex Rose both quickly settled into game and spirit.

The Freds were relentless in pursuit of net, and almost crowned the performance with a jewel. Good combination accessed the right flank and Matthew Goodman delivered the perfect invite for Guy Woolley to climb high and angle a quality header inside the keepers' right-hand post - stopped only by an illegal hand.

Red card. Spot kick. Five.

"Happy days!"