Baxter's triple puts Moles in the hunt

Jan 9 2009 By David Morgan, Surrey Herald

COMBINED COUNTIES PREMIER Cobham........................... 1 Molesey........................... 4

Matt Baxter was the hat-trick star as Molesey gave neighbours Cobham the cold shoulder on Saturday to continue their march up the Ryman One South table.

Moles made light of having the squad stretched to the limit, with none of their recently successful midfield available.

Captain Steve Brown, Sam Lampard and Ross Defoe were all absent, which meant starts were given to Daniel Coombes, Craig Stephens and the returning Dan Sacha.

Molesey were also quick to overcome the dreadful conditions and were soon charging up the field, led by their three-pronged attack force of Lewis Ackerman, Liam O'Leary and Baxter.

However, after Baxter put an early header just over, Molesey nearly suffered from the vagaries of the near-frozen pitch, when a long through ball bounced deceivingly high and goalkeeper Matt Nash had to react well to tip it on to the bar.

Molesey finally made the breakthrough on the half-hour mark. Andy Graves delivered an inch-perfect cross to Baxter, who chested the ball down and then struck the ball past the keeper.

Having been under the cosh throughout the first-half, Cobham snatched an equaliser within moments of the re-start as hit-man Alan Knight struck a perfect volley in off the the underside of the bar.

This was the spark that perhaps Molesey needed to really get going.

Just three minutes later they re-took the lead when a long ball was played into the box by Daniel Coombes.

Moses was lurking inside the Cobham area, and he chested it back to Baxter who swept the ball home with little fuss.

Within minutes some super skill by O'Leary forced a corner. When the ball was swung in, it was Joe Yeates who met it at the back post to squeeze it home.

Molesey fans were in for a tense final quarter, hoping the game would be allowed to finish as the referee stopped the action for a few minutes to inspect the rapidly freezing pitch.

Their fears were unfounded, and Molesey completed the scoring in the 73rd minute when O'Leary was scythed down by Cobham's Ian McKendrick, who was given his marching orders.

Baxter took over from the usual penalty taker O'Leary, sending the Cobham keeper the wrong way to complete his hat-trick.