Spalding United 2
Loughborough Dynamo 0
Two goals in three second-half minutes gave Spalding United an eye-catching 2-0 win over Loughborough Dynamo on Tuesday night – and kept their flawless start to the new season going.
After a goalless first period at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field, Ben Richards (49) and Scott Floyd (52) netted to settle the BetVictor NPL South East Division clash.
Ever-reliable keeper Michael Duggan then kept out a 66th-minute penalty from Curtis Burrows to keep the Tulips comfortable and move them up into third place in the embryonic league table.
With two wins, four goals and none conceded from their first two games, boss Matt Easton couldn’t really have asked for a better start to the season.
He said: “I’d have snapped your hand off for this start before a ball was kicked! We couldn’t really have asked for a better start to the season.
“I thought we did well. Sure, we rode our luck a bit in the first half and couldn’t really have argued if they’d gone in one or two goals ahead.
“But we really went at them at the start of the second half and got our two goals.
“I think we restricted them to few chances after that, but the penalty save from Duggy was massive. It’s a very different game at 2-1.
“I don’t think our performance was anything overly special, but we got the job done and I’m very happy.
“Jamie Jackson was frightening again going forward, while Duggy was excellent in goal.
“There were some other good individual showings too, but we did well to get this result with so many players missing.
“We scrapped and battled well and the lads deserved the victory in the end.”
The visitors, 2-0 winners at Spalding last season, had the better of the early chances.
Duggan was forced into saves to deny Corbi Brown on two occasions, before then stepping up to deny Alex Steadman.
Jamie Jackson always looked dangerous at the other end and he fired Spalding’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes across the face of goal.
However, the Tulips came flying out of the traps in the second period and went ahead four minutes in when Richards netted his second goal in as many games with a back-post header from a corner.
Three minutes later youngster Floyd raced clear and kept his cool to bury a low effort into the bottom corner and give Easton’s side some breathing space.
Things would have got a little more difficult had Duggan not kept out Burrows’ penalty following a foul by Richards in the area, but Spalding were never really troubled and comfortably held on to secure a second win on the spin.
Tulips: Duggan, Hare, Hugo, Spafford, Richards, Spencer (Ramsden 80), Floyd, Everington, Jackson, Acar, Easey (Mason 46). Not used: Holliday, Frain, Smith.
Attendance: 142.
MOTM: Richards.
RESULTS
Evo-Stik NPL
South East Division: Belper Town 3 Frickley Athletic 1; Chasetown 2 Market Drayton Town 1; Cleethorpes Town 5 Lincoln United 0; Leek Town 2 Kidsgrove Athletic 1; Newcastle Town 0 Glossop North End 2; Spalding United 2 Loughborough Dynamo 0; Stamford 4 Ilkeston Town 2; Stocksbridge Park Steels 3 Sheffield FC 2.
Uhlsport UCL
Kitman UK KOCup: Anstey Nomads 1 Leicester Nirvana 0; Desborough Town 5 Wellingborough Whitworth 1; Peterborough Northern Star 2 Huntingdon Town 2 (pen 6-5); Rugby Town 2 Lutterworth Town 0.
ChromaSport PDFL
Premier Division: Holbeach United Res 1 Netherton United 3; Leverington Sports 1 FC Parson Drove 0; Oakham United 5 Ketton 1; Peterborough North End Sports 5 Thorney 2; Tydd 4 Moulton Harrox 6.
