GODALMING TOWN 0 v 5 PAULTON ROVERS

Paulton Rovers travelled over 100 miles to Surrey for the opening league match against Godalming Town and returned with a comprehensive victory.

If this display is to the standard bearer for the season then manager Nick Bunyard and his assistant Paul Milsom will be pushing for promotion. However everyone knows 'one match does not a season make'!

Apart from early scurries into the Paulton half, the home side rarely troubled Paulton's defence and debutant 'keeper Lewis Pierre, standing in for the suspended Kyle Phillips, did not have a save to make until the sixty first minute.

Mike Perrott who joined Rovers from Frome Town opened the scoring after sixteen minutes. A left footed corner from the right by Brandon Barnes caused confusion in the Godalming defence and Perrott stroke the ball passed home stopper Justin Courtnage.

Rovers peppered Courtnage's goal and with a little more composure could have put away chances that fell to Barnes, Dan Cleverley, Ben Lacey and Nick McCottie.

With captain Cleverley running the midfield engine room, on thirty seven minutes the breakthrough came to make it 2-0. Right back Stuart Tovey took a quick throw to Lacey who raced and dribbled past his marker to pull the ball back to debutant striker Jake Harris on loan from Hereford United, who made no mistake from twelve yards out.

Three minutes later Harris a former Somerset U18's colleague of Rovers winger Ben Lacey hit an early contender of goal of the season.

Centre half Scott Brice played a ball out of defence to Harris who turn and from thirty yards out, hit a screamming curly shot into the top right hand corner of the net. Truly an amazing goal for those watching and drew applause not only from the twenty five hardy Paulton fans, but from over a hundred home supporters who roundly applauded the quality of this goal.

Rovers continued the second half where they left off. Barnes laid the ball to McCottie whose effort sailed over the bar. Then raiding left back Mike Reaney tried his luck from distance, but Courtnage saved well.

James Billing who had come on for McCottie fifteen minutes earlier made it 4-0 after 72 minutes runnning onto a pass by fellow substitute Dean Evans and shooting into the corner of the net across the hapless Courtnage.

Godalming did try challenging a resolute Paulton defence well marshalled by Brice and Marcus Mapstone and their two attempts on target from Jack Broome and Dan Seabourne were easily dealt with by Pierre.

The scoring rout was completed nine minutes later when Perrott raced down the left wing in to the penalty area and as his low cross attempted to find Billing, Godalming defender Adam Everiss cut the ball in to his own net.

Paulton Rovers - Lewis Pierre, Stuart Tovey, Mike Reaney, Marcus Mapstone, Scott Brice, Brandon Barnes, Mike Perrott, Ben Lacey (sub Dave Thompson 81 mins.), Jake Harris (Dean Evans 63), Dan Cleverley, Nick McCootie James Biling 56).

Subs not used : Ollie Price, Josh Jeffries

Paulton open their home fixtures this Tuesday against Tiverton Town K-O 7-30 p.m. and next Saturday are home again to Swindon Supermarine.

On this performance well worth coming to see!