After a four-match winless run in Evostik NPL First Division South, the Tulips began the festive month in scintillating style with a commanding victory courtesy of three cracking goals.
Dynamo, struggling for survival in the league but strengthened by five new signings, fully tested the Tulips resolve in the first half which ended goalless.
But once the deadlock was ended just after the hour mark, it was a totally different story with Bradley Wells scoring twice in the space of five minutes and Nathan Whitehead adding a third on 76 minutes to the delight of boss Dave Frecklington.
He said: “I was really pleased with the performance, especially the second half. It was somewhere near to what we were producing at the start of the season.
“It was a good win which I was delighted with. It didn’t matter how we got it, we needed a win on Saturday, but I was really pleased with how we played.”
All three of the Tulips goals were a delight.
Paul Walker made a marauding run down the right side in the 63rd minute before putting over a precision cross which Wells despatched into the net with a powerful far post header.
Five minutes later Adam Jackson, on his debut return to the Tulips, was the provider with a perfectly flighted corner kick which Wells took delight in volleying home, giving goalkeeper Liam Sharpe no chance.
The home side were battling for survival but the game was put well and truly beyond their reach when Whitehead bagged the Tulips’ third goal, connecting firmly with a Mitch Griffiths’ cross at the far post.
The first half was reminiscent of recent Tulips performances with a distinct lack of coordination and missed opportunities, but with the back line of defence as per last season with Walker, Jackson, Neal Spafford and Nathan Stainfield in front of Michael Duggan, the home side were denied few clear cut scoring chances.
Jordan Ball did demand serious attention, particularly after he shaved Duggan’s crossbar in the opening minutes with a good shot from the edge of the area.
For the Tulips Whitehead tested Sharpe while Jack Wightwick failed to make contact with a Wells cross with the goal at his mercy.
Early in the second half Sharpe denied Wells with a fingertip save and from the resulting corner the home defence survived a barrage of shots inside a packed area as the Tulips began to turn the screw.
Bradley Barraclough finally got a bite of the action on his return from a lengthy absence through injury and provided the signs that he and Wells will form a profitable partnership as Frecklington moves closer to having a fully-fit squad to choose from.
He added: “We still had Cenk Acar and Jordan Lemon missing so we weren’t at our strongest.
“That’s been very frustrating, but we’re getting somewhere near full strength now and our physio Richard Lavery deserves a massive amount of credit for getting the players back.”
Tulips: Duggan, Walker, Jackson, Varley (Barraclough 77 mins), Stainfield, Spafford, Higginson (Gatter 55 mins), Whitehead, Wells, Wightwick (Lockie 66 mins). Subs not used: Field, Moyses.
Man-of-the-match: Bradley Wells. Attendance: 84.
