Ollerton Off To Perfect Start After Dronfield Drubbing

It took Ollerton Town until their eighth game of last season before they picked up their first point but thankfully there is to be no repeat of those early season struggles as Dave Winter's side secured an opening day victory on Saturday after dismantling Dronfield Town.
This was the first time Ollerton had ever beaten Dronfield, losing all of the previous eight meetings, and this was a perfect time to secure that win, even seeing Ollerton go top of the Northern Counties East League Division One table for a few days at least.
Ollerton got off to an excellent start, going ahead on nine minutes. Kyle Clarkson cut inside from the right before slipping the ball through for Kyle Ludlow who found the bottom corner with a first time effort across goal. Clarkson and Ludlow were crucial for Ollerton during the season they won promotion and Manager Dave Winter will have been encouraged to see the pair link up so effectively for the opener.
Danny Wood saw a good early chance go over the bar for Dronfield before Ryan Ruddiforth saw an effort at the back post blocked by Brandon Shaw.
After assisting the opener, it was Kyle Clarkson who scored Ollerton's second. James Weaver put Liam Cooper clear on the left and Cooper was able to pick out Lewis Bingham in the area, the Ollerton skipper on the day pulling the ball back for Clarkson who had time to pick out the far corner.
Greg Tobin had two good chances to continue Ollerton's dream start but he first saw his header saved before firing over the bar from just outside the area.
Though Ollerton were in a strong position, they soon found themselves under some testing Dronfield pressure as the visitors looked to find a way back into the game. A mix up at the back for Ollerton presented Dronfield with a golden opportunity but tremendous blocks by James Weaver and then Brandon Shaw momentarily preserved Ollerton's 2-0 advantage though Dronfield soon clawed one back; Jamie Willis' low strike from the edge of the area beat Ollerton stopper Ryan Brooks and nestled into the bottom corner.
Dronfield continued to pile on the pressure during the closing stages of the first half but Ollerton deserve credit for dealing with what was thrown at them and going into the interval still ahead.
With the game so finely in the balance, the next goal was always going to be crucial and thankfully for Ollerton, it was they who scored it shortly after the restart. Brandon Shaw overlapped brilliantly from left back and he found Gavin King in the area but after his shot was blocked, the ball rebounded kindly to Kyle Clarkson who smashed in his second of the game from close range.
The momentum was now back with Ollerton and they nearly added another, Lewis Bingham's brilliant volley left Dronfield 'keeper Jamie Davies stranded but unfortunately the ball just dipped wide of the upright.
Dronfield almost scored a second which would have set up a tense final quarter for Ollerton but thankfully Chris Savage's shot was first saved by Brooks before Shaw hacked the ball away off the line.
With just over ten minutes left, Ollerton scored a fourth to well and truly kill the game off. A raking ball up field by Liam Cooper put Gavin King through on goal and he showed why Ollerton were so happy to secure his signature this summer, first knocking the ball round Davies before steadying himself to pass the ball into the empty net.
Going into the game, Ollerton knew they needed to get points on the board as soon as possible and they will have been delighted with the manner in which they did just that. Defensively, Ollerton's muddled-together back four did a great job of dealing with Dronfield's threat whilst further forward, Ollerton's key players did the business to secure a perfect start to the new campaign.