City enjoy home comforts with Hungerford hammering

City made it four home wins in a row with a clinical victory over Hungerford Town this afternoon. Three goals in twelve first half minutes set them on the way to the win that lifts them back into the Vanarama National League South play-off places. The pattern of the game was set early on as the visitors struggled to cope with City’s pace and passing. A couple of early sights of goal came and went before City were denied what looked a clear-cut penalty on 18 minutes when Ross Stearn was wiped out by keeper Driscoll as he shot over the bar. This was forgotten though six minutes later when the referee did point to the spot after Stearn was bundled over in the box by Moore-Azille and Ryan Brunt blasted the penalty high into the roof of the net. And within another six minutes Adam Mann’s pass picked out Brunt to stroke home his and City’s second goal. Number three arrived on 36 minutes when Driscoll initially parried Mann’s shot only for Andy Watkins to retrieve the ball and cross for Anthony Straker to volley home his first goal for the Romans. The second half was only seven minutes old when Robbie Cundy headed home Mann’s corner despite a defender trying to pull the shirt off his back and a real hammering looked on the cards. However, Mann was denied twice in quick succession after that and on 64 minutes the Crusaders pulled a goal back, Lynch netting from the penalty spot after a foul by Straker. They came within inches of grabbing a second shortly afterwards, Johnston-Schuster shooting across the face of goal, but that was the last real scare for City. Several further good saves from Driscoll and last-ditch blocks prevented City adding to the scoring but that couldn’t disguise another excellent Twerton Park performance from the side.