Inside the first minute of the game, Curtis Williamson chased a long forward pass down the visitors’ right wing but the ball ran out of play. Then from a free kick on the other wing, Kieren Coupe’s delivery was well defended. Aaron Hewitt tried a long-range shot at goal which went well over the bar. After this initial burst, Brigg began to settle and move the ball about patiently.
Their first scoring attempt came after ten minutes when Scott Phillips met Alfie Usher’s left-wing cross with a diving header into the side netting. Rainworth responded with a free kick into the penalty area which was safely held by Miles Fenty, followed by another right-wing raid by Curtis Williamson. Dayle Hutson began to influence Brigg’s progressive forward moves but after his shot from a left-wing cross was blocked, he collected the ball to deliver a second telling pass right across the face of the Wrens’ goal.
Alfie Usher continued to threaten with runs into the penalty area down Brigg’s left-wing but the opposition defenders stood firm. With five minutes of the first half remaining, Kyle Hempshall was injured when he collided with Brigg ‘keeper Miles Fenty inside the penalty area and had to be substituted but the teams went into the half-time break on level terms.
Within five minutes of the restart, the Rainworth substitute struck a firm shot over the crossbar of the Brigg goal. When the ball was played back up the pitch, Scott Phillips got his head to a left-wing cross. This was initially cleared before being returned along the six-yard line for Scott Phillips to touch the ball on for Finlay O’Sullivan who found the back of the net for the first goal of the game.
Clearly encouraged by the importance of scoring first, Brigg followed up with a shot from Dayle Hutson being saved and another from Scott Phillips hurriedly cleared. Warren Squires saved well again from Dayle Hutson and followed up with a double-action to prevent Andy Taylor from adding to the score.
As Brigg continued to pile on the pressure for the visitors’ defenders Alfie Usher scored the second goal with a curling shot in the sixty-fifth minute of play.
For the last twenty minutes of the second half remaining, Brigg took full control of the game and some of their approach play was delightful to watch.
Chas Fisher pushed forward to strike a great shot into the roof of the net from thirty yards out for the third goal after eighty-three minutes and within a further two minutes, Andy Taylor completed a great inter-passing movement to grab the fourth goal. Two more shots rebounded to safety off the Rainworth goal’s woodwork before Scott Phillips completed the scoring in the final minute of the game.
On Saturday afternoon, Brigg travel to Manchester to play against Prestwich Heys in this season’s Challenge Vase competition. Next week it’s the short journey on Tuesday evening to face an in-form Rossington Main for a game that should attract a fair crowd of supporters.