Retford United returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion on Saturday afternoon, putting five past Thackley AFC in an impressive 5-0 victory at Cannon Park. New signing George Giwa was thrown straight into the action with a place in the starting eleven, while Freddie Trueman retained his spot following a promising performance in midweek.
Both sides made a lively start, looking to make use of their attacking threat from the opening whistle. Thackley regularly looked to release their quick wide players with balls over the top, but Dom Hart and Conner Williamson stood strong at the back to cut out the danger.
The Badgers had their first big opportunity after 10 minutes when Lewis Chambers connected powerfully with a header, only to see his effort kept out by the Thackley goalkeeper. It was an exciting and evenly contested opening period, with both sides showing plenty of intent, but Retford found the breakthrough on 27 minutes.
What initially looked like a broken-down attack was brought back to life by Alans Voskresenskis. He produced a lovely touch inside to beat two defenders before picking out the top corner with a superb finish to give the Badgers the lead. With their noses in front, Retford began to grow into the game and looked to make the momentum count.
The second arrived at the perfect time. A corner on the stroke of half-time caused chaos inside the six-yard box, with the ball bouncing around before leading scorer Chambers reacted quickest to force it home. It sent the Badgers into the break 2-0 ahead. The scoreline perhaps did not reflect what had been a relatively even half in terms of chances, but Retford had been far more clinical when their opportunities arrived.
The only negative from the opening 45 minutes was the loss of captain Conner Williamson, who was forced off following a clash of heads. It has since been confirmed that Williamson suffered a broken orbital and is expected to be sidelined for around two weeks.
Retford took complete control after the restart. Brandon Kane set the tone in midfield as the Badgers managed the game intelligently, keeping possession and refusing to force the issue with a two-goal cushion already secured. Thackley struggled to find a route back into the contest, while Retford continued to dictate the tempo. The third goal eventually arrived in the 84th minute through substitute Ben Ashall.
Finding space on the edge of the area, Ashall lifted an effort towards goal which sailed over the goalkeeper and dropped into the far corner. Whether it was intended as a shot or something slightly different, only Ashall will know, but the end result was a brilliant goal. Two minutes later, it was four with two more subs linking up very well.
Jacob Carter provided the assist before Oliver Wilson produced a spectacular touch and turn, followed by a powerful volley which gave the goalkeeper absolutely no chance. By this stage, the Badgers were playing with confidence and swagger, moving the ball around with ease as the contest began to resemble a training exercise.
Chambers thought he had added another moments later, only to see the goal ruled out after the referee had already blown for a Retford free-kick. He would not be denied for long. With the final kick of the game, Chambers curled the ball around the goalkeeper to grab his second of the afternoon and Retford’s fifth.
It capped off an excellent afternoon at Cannon Park and a hugely impressive response following the disappointment of midweek. Five goals, a clean sheet and three points made it the perfect way to get back to winning ways in front of the Badgers faithful. Brandon Kane was named Man of the Match after an outstanding display in the middle of the park, producing one of his strongest performances of the season so far.
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