Paul-Andre Walker, Staff ReporterVILLAGE UNITED gave notice of their plans to be contenders in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League this season, racking up their fourth consecutive victory with a commanding 5-0 demolition of Arlington at Prison Oval yesterday.
"Arlington just got a good lesson in football," said their new coach Geoffrey Maxwell, who was having his first defeat with his latest charges.
That lesson was hammered home in no uncertain fashion with braces from Shane Crawford (80th, 90+), Damian Adamson (43rd, 69th) and Gregory Simpson (32nd).
Arlington, as has been the case since starting top-flight football, showed that they can be competitive but failed to sustain it for long periods to their detriment.
The game started evenly with midfield clashes threatening to nullify productive attacks. However, a free-kick taken by Village's Nicardo Folkes, changed the complexion of the game severely.
The right-sided free-kick swung high over the heads of Arlington's defenders and dipped wickedly at the back post for an unmarked Simpson to head into a net made vacant by the pull of the cross.
WENT TO PIECES
Arlington went to pieces after that and never seemed to recover, their hopes of making a game of the minutes that lay before them fading with the light that was crowded out by the presence of sheeting rain.
Slipping and sliding, all of Arlington's efforts at stringing good passes together went for nought, as Village made good their second goal of the half after an aerial ball slid off the forehead of Godfrey Brown for Adamson to make a sliding effort in front of custodian Collin Green count.
The highlight of the goals was Crawford's 80th minute scorcher that left Green stunned in it's wake. Receiving a ball from Adamson, who had done some good work in holding up the ball for the midfielder's approach, Crawford darted down the left side cutting inside before unleashing a ferocious 25-yard left footer that passed so close to Green he must have smelled the leather on the projectile.
All the other goals came by way of headers and spoke to Arlington's inability to mark or to deal with the size advantage of the Village unit.
After the game, Village's coach, Dr. Dean Weatherley, was cautious of saying that his team had turned the corner, but was pleased with what he saw.
