MALVERN Town kicked-off 2015 in style as they cruised to a 6-1 victory over Wellington Amateurs in the West Midlands Regional League on Saturday.
Dave Reynolds set the tone with a goal inside the opening two minutes before Lee Hooper bagged a brace to give his side a 3-0 lead at half time.
Town remained on top in the second period and wrapped up a comfortable wins thanks to goals from Jake Hollylee, Matthew Turner and Reynolds in the final 13 minutes.
The victory leaves Malvern in sixth place and helps to get their league campaign back on track after suffering back-to-back defeats over the festive period.
Having had their first scheduled fixture of the year postponed due to a waterlogged pitch last week, Town appeared determined to make up for lost time as they quickly got off the mark at Wellington.
Aaron Richards slotted the ball to Reynolds who spun and cleverly flicked it with his instep over the keeper and into the net.
The striker then came close to doubling his side’s lead as his sixth minute strike hit the angle between the post and crossbar.
Town soon found the back of the net when Hooper drove into the box and fired past keeper Scott Hoop.
This set the tone for the contest as Malvern continue to press, with Sam Rathone, Reynolds and Ben Hayes linking up well in attack.
Wellington managed to keep Town at bay for long periods as Kieran Buckley produced a fine last-ditch tackle to deny Hayes, while Reynolds and Kirk Layton fired over.
But the hosts’ pressure finally told on the stroke of half time when Hooper netted his second and Malvern’s third.
Town continued to boss possession and all but secured victory in the 77th minute when Hollylee came off the bench to make it 4-0 with his first touch of the ball.
The substitute was then invovled in Town’s fifth as he crossed the ball to Hayes who found Turner to tap home.
Tyrell McFarlane got one back for Wellington in the 87th minute, but Malvern had the final word as Reynolds rounded the keeper before rolling the ball into the empty net.