Olney Town Colts U18 1 AFC Rushden & Diamonds U18 6

Olney Town Colts U18 1-6 AFC Rushden & Diamonds U18

Northants Senior Youth League

The Diamonds U18s produced their best attacking display of the season to record an emphatic victory over Olney Town, in a match played at Bedford Town’s New Eyrie stadium.

Rushden got off to the perfect start, taking the lead inside the first minute of the game. A ball through the middle was flicked on by Jake Reynolds into the path of Matty Smith and he turned his man on the edge of the box before firing home left footed, although Jamie Clampton in the Olney goal will have been disappointed not to keep out the shot as it squirmed beneath his body.

Olney fought back and went close to an equaliser on 7 minutes when Mike Shaw cut in from the right flank and drilled in a shot with the outside of his boot, but Connor Brown made a good save to preserve the Diamonds lead. The hosts didn’t have to wait long to get back on level terms though. With 14 minutes on the clock they won a free kick on the left wing, and Matt Cunningham’s dangerous delivery was nodded past Brown by Joe Attwood.

At this point in the game, Olney looked the more threatening side, and a good long range effort by Mark O’Loughlin was fortunately straight at Brown.

The Diamonds stepped up a gear as the half hour mark approached, with Ollie Lee heading inches wide from a free kick, before Reynolds saw another header deflected just over the bar after a great cross from Tommy Messinger.

Olney still had their chances and went within a whisker of taking the lead when George Bridgeman’s driven cross was volleyed just wide by Elliott Stenson. But it was Rushden who edged in front a couple of minutes later. Matty Foster, starting his first game since returning from a lengthy injury, picked out Messinger with an excellent crossfield pass, and the latter’s deep cross was headed back across goal and into the far corner by Ben Roche.

Diamonds went close to a third shortly after when Jamie Inwood fired just wide from 25 yards, before a great turn and shot from Foster was superbly saved by Clampton. From the resulting corner, Smith headed just wide of the far post.

The third goal did arrive though with the final kick of the first half. A quick break saw Reynolds release Smith once more, and he smashed the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

HT: Olney Town Colts U18 1-3 AFC Rushden & Diamonds U18

The two goal half time lead perhaps flattered the Diamonds a little, but there was only one side in it in the second half. With 55 minutes gone Smith completed his hattrick, racing onto a ball through the middle of the Olney defence, before taking it around the ‘keeper and slotting home from a tight angle.

Shortly after it was 5-1 as Smith netted his fourth of the game, and made it a ‘perfect’ hattrick, glancing home a header from Messinger’s right wing corner.

Savvas Hamp then joined the action from the bench, and almost scored straight away. A ball down the left sent him clear of the Olney defence, but Clampton denied him with another good save, before Reynolds’ rebound was hacked clear off the line.

Olney heads had begun to drop by this stage, and Rushden looked content with their four goal lead, meaning the game fizzed out a little for the remainder of the second half. There was one further goal to cheer however, as a quick throw from substitute James Pearson allowed Reynolds to burst into the area and reach the ball just before Clampton, nodding it over the goalkeeper and into the net.

FT: Olney Town Colts U18 1-6 AFC Rushden & Diamonds U18

Below: Ryan Chamberlain picks up his March Player of the Month award from manager Andy Peaks.