CHICKERELL UNITED 5

TISBURY UNITED 1

NICK Etherington grabbed a double as Chickerell United ended their 2018/19 season in the Dorset Senior League with a 5-1 victory over Tisbury United.

The match was effectively a dead rubber, with Tisbury guaranteed to finish third, and the Chickens certain of fourth place prior to the match.

However, Chickerell took the game to Tisbury and ended the season on a real high, with Dan Welch, Matt Stickland and Dylan Ellis also on the scoresheet.

Harry Gough netted for the visitors with a hugely deflected effort, which ultimately proved to be a consolation strike.

The Chickens made an extremely quick start, and netted after 10 minutes.

Ellis got down the left, beat two players before cutting the ball back to Etherington who smashed it in the goal from near to the penalty spot.

Five minutes later, a Neil Dewey corner was met by the head of Welch who nodded in.

It was 3-0 with 17 minutes on the clock, through Ellis for the Chickens’ third of the afternoon.

Tisbury then missed an open goal with Chickerell goalkeeper Ian Bickerstaff having already dived in a one-on-one situation but the ball was smashed over the bar.

Another corner Dewey saw Etherington nod in to make it 4-0 at the break.

In the second half, Tisbury improved a lot, forcing Bickerstaff into a brilliant early save.

Welch was then penalised for a handball which gave away a penalty to Tisbury, but Bickerstaff made the save.

Chickerell replied through Dewey, who got down the right and cut the ball back to Stickland who made no mistake to fire in to make it 5-0 after 60 minutes.

Tisbury then made a breakthrough, and got down the right before Gough fired a shot, which took a huge deflection off Dewey and into the net.

Dewey cut a ball back for Etherington, who headed wide as the game finished 5-1.

Chickerell boss Shaun Murphy said: “The score could have been a few more, they could have had a few more goals as well to be fair to them.

“Overall I think we deserved the win, we played very well, especially in the first half.”

Discussing the dead rubber nature of the match, Murphy said: “I think it might have benefitted it where no team had anything to play for they played with a bit of freedom, it was a really good game.”

Chickerell United: Bickerstaff, Miller (Carter 75), Cracknell, Southorn, McCarthy, Dewey (Ackerman 70), Harvey, Welch, Ellis (Heggie 80), Stickland, Etherington