Shortwood United 0

Salisbury 8 

Southern League South, West Division

By Harry Ash

SHORTWOOD fell to an unwanted 8-0 spanking at the feet of a rampant Salisbury City.

Paul Meredith's side had no answer to Steve Claridge's promotion chasers.

“It’s just one of those days that come along now and then when you are not at it and you play a very good side that will hurt you every time they get an opportunity," said Wood boss Meredith. "We need to learn from it, dust ourselves off and go again.

"We should have been better today and we all know that. 1-0 or 8-0 it's three points lost, so the quicker we get our chins up and react positively this week in training and get ready for the next game, the better we will be. It's no good dwelling on the game, we move on.”

The tone of the match was set within the opening minute; Salisbury’s Tavares’ cross was headed against the bar by Brooks from close range.

Salisbury opened the scoring with five minutes played when a Tavares cross hit Thwaite and rebounded in off Benson.

Five minutes later, Roberts doubled their lead with a fine 25 yard strike which found the top corner. A poor Ockwell header intended for ‘keeper Price presented Brooks with a chance, who lifted the ball over Price and into the net ten minutes from half time.

On 41 minutes, Green’s cross found Brooks at the back post, who nodded in the fourth.

Shortwood had the ball in the net in the second minute of stoppage time, Cox heading in an Adam Price cross, but the striker was offside.

With 56 minutes played, Whelan added a fifth, guiding into the bottom corner from just inside the box.

Although Wood substitutes Hawes, Freeman and Fogg seemed to get  the home side going forward, Salisbury managed to add three more in the final 25 minutes.

On 75 minutes, Brooks and O’Keefe found themselves with only one Wood defender to beat, but Brooks’ attempted cross went straight out of play.

He made amends three minutes later, scoring a spectacular bicycle kick from the middle of the box to complete his hat-trick, having been found by O’Keefe.

Two minutes later, Benson crossed to O’Keefe, who headed into the bottom corner. Shortwood almost made it 1-7 when Prictor smashed at goal (either an ambitious shot or a mishit cross), and Searle was forced into a good save.

O’Keefe came agonisingly close to adding his second of the game, but he headed just wide from a Perrett cross.

The scoring was completed in the second minute of stoppage time when Ockwell unluckily turned the ball into his own net following a low Benson cross.

Shortwood: Price L, Noakes (Hawes 57), Prictor, Ockwell, Thwaite, Kibble, (Freeman 63), Meredith R, Morris, Price A, Marks (Hogg 64), Cox

Attendance: 164