Ollerton's Unbeaten Start to 2018 Continues with Brigg Win!

Report by William Lavelle. Photo by John Rudkin.

Ollerton Town’s unbeaten start to 2018 continued on Saturday after a dominant performance saw them run out comprehensive 5-1 winners against an in-form Brigg team that had claimed seven points from their last nine.

The Town have put in impressive performances since the turn of the year but this was the first time that Ollerton have been able to turn a dominant performance into a truly dominant result.

Brigg started the game off strong in the opening five minutes but Ollerton soon took control and almost took an early lead as Gav King struggled to get a solid contact on initial chance which rebounded towards Kyle Ludlow but Brigg goalkeeper Nathan Popple was equal to Ludlow’s effort.

Brigg were too reluctant to commit any men forward which allowed Ollerton to pen Brigg in and effectively recycle possession as Brigg looked to have no real outlet upfront.

Ollerton should’ve taken the lead with Ludlow’s earlier strike but Ludlow made up for letting Brigg off the hook earlier in the game as his powerful effort from the edge of the box nestled into the bottom right corner to break the deadlock. Ollerton’s lead was well deserved and Kyle Ludlow will have been overjoyed to have scored his first goal since Ollerton’s fourth game of the season, which coincidentally was also against Brigg.

Ollerton continued to dominate the game and arguably should’ve doubled their lead when Bingham’s disguised pass found King but he wasn’t able to beat the keeper from a tight angle.

Ollerton had the chances to be comfortably clear and in the 44th minute King made no mistake when presented with his second opportunity of the half as Dickinson’s through ball was nicely weighted towards King and despite his low effort receiving a touch from the keeper on its way in, it wasn’t enough to keep the ball out as Ollerton ended the half with a 2-0 lead.

Brigg offered little to no threat offensively in the first half but Ollerton didn’t allow any complacency to affect the second half performance as Brigg were instantly put on the back foot at the start of the second period.

King had the chance to extend Ollerton’s lead early on as he feinted past one defender to cut in from the left wing but his eventual effort was well saved by Popple.

Ollerton continued to look for a third goal and in the 54th minute Kyle Ludlow was able to net his second and Ollerton’s third of the game. Lewis Bingham’s pressing high up the pitch allowed Ollerton to win back the ball just outside the box and the attacking midfielder unselfishly laid the ball across to Ludlow who saw his tame effort spilt into his own net by Popple.

Brigg still offered little going forward but were able to nick an unlikely consolation goal through Myles Lawman. Lawman’s free kick was able to find its way straight through a slightly disorganised Ollerton wall and past Ryan Brooks in what was quite a poor goal for Ollerton to concede.

Ollerton responded strongly to the slight setback and almost got a fourth as Bingham’s delicate cross to the back post found midweek cup hero Mark Carter, but the cross was slightly out of reach and was headed just over.

Ollerton’s relentless pressure continued late on in the second half and in the 76th minute King got his second and put the result beyond any doubt. Bingham, who had endured a wonderful game as a creative midfielder, played a ball in behind the Brigg defence towards King who maintained his composure as he was able to easily strike the ball across goal and past Popple for his 17th of the season.

With a three goal lead and no need to search for more goals it would’ve been acceptable to sit back and attempt to protect the their comfortable lead but Ollerton were still looking for more goals in the final ten minutes and in the 87th minute unlikely scorer Ben Bowring converted Ollerton’s fifth. Bingham whipped a ball in from a free kick on the left hand side to register his third assist of the half as Bowring powered a header towards the far post to complete the rout.

Ollerton could’ve had a sixth as Sam West pitched a ball to the back post towards Carter but his headed effort was well saved by Popple.

The game eventually ended as a 5-1 rout but the result could’ve been even more convincing with the quantity of chances which Ollerton had. There looked to be a clear gulf in class between the two teams but the overall tactical and team performance was excellent. While the headlines may solely go to the two strikers who got a brace each, the overall team display was sensational and a special mention must go to the offensive midfield duo of Bingham and Dickinson who assisted four of the five goals and were the main creative sparks throughout.