WEDNESFIELD 0, MALVERN TOWN 6

MALVERN Town maintained their place at the top of the Express and Star West Midlands League, Premier Division, with this more than comfortable success at Wednesfield on Saturday.

Against a a very ordinary home side, Town were never really stretched and although not at their most fluent, every time Malvern upped the pace of the game, they seemed to register a decisive strike.

It was skipper Craig Williams who put the visitors on front with a well taken solo effort after just 7 minutes and in the 14th minute another Williams effort rebounded off the home 'keeper and Dean Roberts was on hand to secure his side's second goal and his third in three games since returning from injury.

With Town enjoying plenty of possession and the home side virtually non existent as an attacking force, a third goal was inevitable and it duly arrived in the 28th minute, when Rik Halion fired home.

The first half scoring wasn't complete though and it was a rare Nick Clayton goal, which provided Town with an unassailable 4-0 interval lead.

With the game won, it was perhaps inevitable that Malvern would take their foot off the gas a little during the second half and the home side were even afforded a couple of half chances.

But in the 74th minute Williams was again involved, when he set up Des Cox for his eighth goal of the campaign.

But Town reserved their best goal of the afternoon for their sixth and final strike. A fine interchange of passing between Roberts and Williams, saw the ever influential Williams cross for leading scorer Scott Morris to volley his 10th goal of the season.

Lee Goodman almost made it seven for Town moments later, but despite getting the ball into the net, his effort was narrowly ruled out for offside.

Town manager Neil Hunt said: "Although we were happy with the margin of victory, we were a bit disappointed to only play in patches after the fourth goal.

"Certainly every time we upped the pace of the game, we always looked like scoring, but it just appeared that we were only prepared to do this when it suited us.

"However, it is often hard to apply yourselves totally over 90 minutes in a game like this, and no matter what you say to the players at half time, they knew the game was won."

More Town news on Page 77.