Emphatic second half sees City secure Highworth win

Second half strikes from Dylan Hart, Kyle Belmonte and Liam Lockett ensured that City kicked off 2024 with a win on Monday afternoon at Malvern Town's HDAnywhere Community Stadium over a spirited Highworth Town side.

Pre-match, the main talking point for The Faithful who made the trip to Malvern for our second home league fixture there in three days, was the squad rotation from City boss Cornes. Liam Lockett began the match from the bench, and after an injury in the warm-up to Saturday's opening goalscorer Elliott Hartley, Jamie Insall was given the nod from the start. New signing Jordan Lymn also made his first start for the club in a slightly tweaked system that allowed a free role for Kyle Belmonte, with Hart and Insall often looking like a strike pairing, rather than the usual three across the front line.

With the slight change in system and personnel, the first half proved a tight contest with both sides having chances to break the deadlock. The most ambitious of the chances came from Adam Mace, who after City had won a free kick on the halfway line, had spotted Highworth keeper Case off his line and drove an effort towards goal, sending Case scrambling back towards his goal only to see the effort drop just over the top of the crossbar. Between Mace and Belmonte, it looks as if there is a competition between the two for who can score the best goal from halfway this season!

Around the half hour mark Dylan Hart had the two best opportunities of the half for City. For his first, he was played through brilliantly by Calvin Dinsley, only to see his effort saved by the feet of Case in goal. For the second, after a ball splitting the Highworth defence, he managed to nip in to steal the ball away from Case, but under pressure from several Highworth defenders, saw his effort creep wide of the far post.

As the old cliché goes, it seemed that the firs goal of the game might prove pivotal as the first half drew to a close.

Hart didn't need to wait much longer for his goal though which came early in the second half. Picking up the ball on the edge of the box, he twisted and turned his way between Highworth defenders and fired towards goal, past Case and into the back of the net, potentially with a little assistance from a slight deflection. City led.

City had their second shortly before the hour, after great work by Stoddart and Hart on the right flank, a delicious cross into the box was powered home by Belmonte for his 20th goal in all competitions for City this season, becoming the second player after Liam Lockett to reach the 20 mark, and for a short time drawing level as City's top goalscorer.

Jamie Insall, who had worked tirelessly all afternoon as part of the City front line, earned himself an opportunity to join in on the act when pressuring the Highworth defence, but his looped effort over Case dropped just behind the goal.

Highworth's best chance to get themselves back into the game fell to their own top goalscorer Joshua Davis, after a free kick towards the back post found him in space between two defenders, but his headed effort was off target and wide of the goal.

As the clock ticked down Cornes made three changes, with Lockett, Batchelor, and the returning Kyonn Evans brought on to replace Gater, Hart and Insall. And into stoppage time it was two of his substitutes along with Belmonte linking up for City's third. Batchelor did brilliantly well in the middle of the park to stay on his feet following a Highworth challenge, releasing the ball to Belmonte on the right. His driven cross towards the back post found Lockett, and after a fantastic first touch with his right, drove the ball with his left past Case and into the bottom corner. Three goals, and three points for City.

That win ensures City keep pace at the top of the Hellenic Premier Division table and stay two points behind Corsham at the top, but with four games still in hand. Next up is a trip to fourth placed Roman Glass St George on Wednesday evening, another tough test for Cornes' men.