Saints 2  Hadley 0  (Molten Spartan Premier Division)

Saturday's visitors from Hadley had made made the best start among the Premier Division's new boys but they left with a much better idea of the step up required to challenge at the top of the division as they came up against a Saints side starting to hit their stride.

Saints have flattered to deceive so far this season despite their winning start but here they were impressive throughout the side from the very first whistle to the final kick. More than the three points gained, there were strong signals that they are kicking into gear and that the fires have not been dampened by their near misses of recent seasons.

The most obvious test of how good Saints are playing is how visible talisman midfielder Alan Hedley is during the afternoon. The current Player of the Year is the most consistent and influential player in the side and if he stands out it is usually because others are playing below par. This time, Alan was one among many which is a great sign.

Hadley's reputation as a tough, direct side preceded them and Danny Edwards had Saints prepared and ready. A typically bright start, with Daniel Hughes and Terrell Lewis working well together on the left and Lewis Cumber pushing forward to support Adamson Ajayi on the right stretched the Hadley back line and Barry Brosnan worked hard and caused problems through the middle. The breakthrough came on 18 minutes when Terrell Lewis broke into the box, beating several players before letting loose an unstoppable shot into the corner for 1-0.

Hadley had their moments too, with their front line led by man-mountain Melford Simpson and Saints had to be sharp and organised to quell the threat. Dwayne Williams had a marquee afternoon, imposing himself on the game in midfield in a way long hoped for.

The game really came alive after the break with both sides sparring hard and looking for the decisive breakthrough but the defences held the upper hand at both ends. Ray Walsh and Lewis Cumber were strong at the back while Adam Louth was outstanding; totally committed to his role, even surprising the crowd with a right footed clearance at one point. Such were the swings in play that his usual clever play around the opposition area was denied as he rarely got out of his own half. 

New found fire from Saints continued to promise further reward with Kyle Jeffery, Adamson Ajayi and subs Jude Eboyi and Adam Bernard all having shots on goal. Hadley keeper, Russell Garland, had to be sharp and made some excellent stops to keep his team in the game.

With the clock running down, the visitors had to push forward to chase the game, leaving huge gaps at the back and they were finally caught out deep into stoppage time when more trickery from Terrell Lewis in the area left the goal exposed and an astute pass gave Eboyi and Hughes shots which were bravely blocked before Daniel Hughes nailed his second chance with the very last kick of the game. 

Saints: Mark Oliver, Lewis Cumber, Adam Louth, Ray Walsh, Kyle Jeffery, Dwayne Williams, Terrell Lewis, Alan Hedley, Barry Brosnan (Jude Eboyi 62), Daniel Hughes, Adamson Ajayi (Adam Bernard (72).