AVDFC 5-1 Rushden & Higham

Team: George Zammit; Harry Loakes, Jake Baldwin, Jack Hodgins, Terry Griffiths; Dave Brown, Jamie Fulton, Sam Wood, Rio Deall, Josh Boorn; Ollie Lawford

Subs: Tom Kennard, Joe Chott, Luke Nugent, Harvey Matthews, Abu Khan, Will Mullarkey, Dan McAteer

The cup games are coming thick and fast for Dynamos and today’s match was the FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round where they hosted Rushden & Higham from Spartan Div 1.
Before the match started Easty was forced into a change as Will Mullarkey was injured in the warm up meaning Harry Loakes started at right back.

The early minutes saw Rushden push forward at every opportunity, forcing Zammit into an early save at the feet of their striker.
Six minutes in and Fulton collected a pass out from Brownie and he fizzed a long ball over to Wood on the left flank, he controlled the ball and played it to Brownie who was upended just outside the box. Boorn stepped up and hit his shot well but straight at the keeper who saved comfortably.

Both Deall and Boorn were causing the Rushden back line problems with their pace and skill as Dynamos were settling into the match and getting more of the possession. Boorn had another half chance as he received a decent ball into feet from Fulton but his shot was blocked.
25 minutes in and the possession almost paid off as Lawford played a ball into Deall’s feet and he made space for a shot which went inches wide.

At the other end a rare Rushden attack saw Zammit make another tidy save, palming the ball away and Hodgins cleared his lines.
Finally Dynamos got he deserved breakthrough. A great team goal as Griffiths, Loakes and Fulton moved the ball around nicely to created space for Lawford, he cushioned his pass wide for Boorn who beat his man and hit a great cross where Baldwin had raced in and planted his header firmly past the keeper. Great goal. 1-0 Dynamos.

Sam Wood was also now getting involved and creating opportunities as he enjoyed running at the Rushden defence. He won a corner which Boorn crossed, Lawford collected and fed the ball back into the box as a goalmouth scramble ensued with a Rushden player saving a goal with his face. 40 minutes on the clock and Dynamos doubled their lead. Loakes picked up a ball out from Zammit and hit a lovely ball over the defence and into the path of Boorn, he controlled and lifted the ball expertly over the keeper and into the net. Another great goal. 2-0 Dynamos. The home side then sneaked another goal before half time with more excellent play. Fulton to Loakes, Loakes into Brownie, Brownie to Boorn, Boorn into Lawford…tap in…great goal. 3-0 Dynamos.

Half time: Dynamos 3-0 Rushden & Higham

Dynamos came out in the second half much the same. Early pressure from Deall saw him win a corner but Griffiths was inches away from connecting as Rushden cleared. 51 minutes and it was Brownie with a shot as he had an interchange with Fulton and Lawford to create room, but the keeper saved with his legs and the ball spun just over the bar. Rushden did have a 10 minute period then of some pressure. First Loakes managed to throw himself at the ball and block a certain goal, but minutes later, Rushden did pull one back whilst Baldwin was off getting treatment, giving them some hope of a comeback. 3-1 Dynamos.

57 minutes and Easty made his first change. Fulton came off (clearly keeping him fresh for the FA Cup) and Tom Kennard came on into the middle. Kennard and Brownie then combined well and Wood had a half chance which was wide of the target. The match had got scrappy as Rushden tried to break up play anyway they could which eventually resulted in Josh Boorn being fouled in the box. Sam Wood stepped up but his penalty was saved and cleared. Ollie Lawford came off and was replaced by Joe Chott on 67 minutes as Dynamos freshened up their attacking options.

It is fair to say that the Rushden bench were not happy with the match officials and eventually the referee had enough and booked their manager for constant complaining. This also riled up their players and their next attack saw Zammit come to collect a long ball only to be taken out badly by their attacker who received a straight red for the tackle. Dynamos were now well on top and another goal came soon afterwards. Wood played the ball out to Boorn who played a lovely one-two with Deall and smashed the ball past the hapless keeper. 4-1 Dynamos.
With 5 minutes left Luke Nugent came on to replace Baldwin and then moments later Dynamos scored their 5th and final goal. A short corner from Boorn to Deall and he played the ball back to Loakes who strode forward, 20 yards out, and unleashed a shot into the bottom left corner.

Final Score: Dynamos 5-1 Rushden & Higham