Shaw Lane Aquaforce players Gary Stohrer and Shane Kelsey battle for the ball
Match Photos can be seen HERE
Three goals in six first half minutes fatally damaged Staveley Miners Welfare as Shaw Lane Aquaforce comfortably rode to victory for the second Toolstation NCEL Premier Division game running.
Sam Denton, Jimmy Eyles and Stefan Holt all struck midway through the opening half to kill the game there and then.
Eyles added a superb fourth in the last minute and round off a brilliant start to life in the Premier for Aquaforce and Craig Elliott praised his team.
“It was a bit similar to Saturday,” said Elliott, whose side thrashed Pickering Town 6-0 at the weekend.
“We got three quick goals and won the game. All that happens though is that it is hard to motivate yourself for the second half.
“It was the same on Saturday as the lads knew mentality they had the game under control.
“I’m not going to be too down about the second half as we wanted a clean sheet and a third win on the trot.
“I always felt we looked more threatening (before the goal). We had two or three good chances and we had a lot of the ball and possession.
“We try and wait patiently for the goals and we did that. We scored some goals and we killed the game off.”
Shaw Lane Aquaforce’s influential midfielder Danny Patterson went off in the first half due to a hamstring strain
Neither side had a real foothold on the game early on. Staveley had a couple of half-chances and Eyles had narrowly fired wide at the other end.
But, there was no inclination that the floodgates were going to open. A disputed free kick for a foul on Shane Kelsey by Jordan Eagers gave the chance to Denton to have bash at goal.
Shaw Lane’s captain put his foot through the ball from 20 yards and his low attempt was too powerful for former Harrogate Town goalkeeper Steve Hernandez.
Aquaforce sensed blood and were straight back at Staveley. Kelsey’s smart cross from the right found Eyles in the six-yard-box. Eyles, one of Aquaforce’s biggest signings of the summer, kept his composure, as Hernandez raced out, to score his first goal for the club.
The night soon fell from bad to worse for Staveley as Joe Thornton’s corner was converted by Holt.
The burst of goals was a total bolt out of the blue from Staveley’s perspective. To their credit, Staveley didn’t fold like a pack of cards.
Both sides created little as the second half progressed. Shaw Lane upped the tempo late on as Hernandez had to make a few saves.
Eyles added the gloss with the goal of the night in the closing stages. The former Ossett Town striker ignored the screaming George Conway and chose go for goal himself.
He spotted the Staveley stopper off-the-line and lobbed him for goal number four of the night.
Shaw Lane Aquaforce: Souter, Stohrer, Fawcus, Callery (Buck 82), Holt, Denton (captain), Patterson (P Haigh 40), Thornhill, Thornton (Conway 71), Eyles, Kelsey. Subs unused: Danville, R Haigh.
Staveley Miners Welfare: Hernandez, Watters, Poulton, Finlaw, Dickinson, Colliver, Wall, Eagers, Watts, Damms, Forbes (Morley 28). Subs unused: Ryan, Hassett, Butt.
Referee: D Sullivan
Ref Rating: 8.10
Attendance: 181
Man of the match: Shane Kelsey (Shaw Lane Aquaforce)