A devastating five goals in the first half saw United progress to the next round of the FA Trophy against Wimborne Town.
With the management team absent due to the wedding of Assistant Manager Stuart Blaik, senior player Andy Gledhill oversaw matters on the day. However, the team was selected in advance, with manager Mark West looking for a reaction following the defeat at Marlow on Tuesday evening.
James McGowan and Luke Ricketts both returned to the side, with the former coming in to a Centre Back partnership with Ellis Hercules, allowing Nick Harrison to move to right back, and Harry Mepham to the right-side of midfield.
The visitors started well, forcing two corners in the opening minutes, with Louis Kellaway shooting over and Luke Holmes trying his luck from distance. However, it was United who opened the scoring on 11 minutes when a long ball saw Lynton Goss shrug off Matt Oldring before coolly lobbing the advancing Benfield in the visitors goal. And it got better for United two minutes later when Dan West raced in from the left and fired low in to the far corner. With Goss and West causing the visiting defence problems with their collective pace and trickery it was, perhaps, no surprise when the third goal arrived with Goss capitalising on to a loose ball, beating Benfield before steadying himself to score. Four minutes later and it was four as West and Goss combined for the latter to complete his hat-trick, and his sixteenth goal in all competitions this season.
At this point, David Lynn – who had suffered an injury in the warm-up at Marlow – was replaced by Calvin Evans. The change did not disrupt United as they made it five on 37 minutes. Again, Goss and West combined with Benfield only managing to parry a shot in to the path of Harry Mepham, who scored his first senior goal for the club.
Just before the break, Craig Hill in the Thame goal made a good save from Toby Holmes – but as it was United went in to half time with a 5-0 lead and one foot in the next round.
The second half, somewhat unsurprisingly, lacked the goalmouth action of the first, with United content to defend the lead. Indeed, for all their possession, Wimborne were unable to penetrate a well-marshalled home defence, whilst the only real effort on goal for United was a deflected Adam Morris shot that was comfortably saved.
United progress to the next round, before which they have an important league match next weekend, away at Aylesbury FC.
United:
Hill, Harrison, Lynn (Evans), Hercules, McGowan, Ashworth, Mepham, Goss (Morris), Sturgess, West (Gledhill), Ricketts.
