X-Roads 12 Footy Kings 1

First Division X-Roads Warriors advanced into the next round of the FA Cup with a dominant performance over Corona league outfit Footy Kings at St David’s Oval on Sunday.

X-Roads scored six goals in each half as prolific strike partners Donavan Thompson and captain Paul Simons led their team with hat-tricks, scoring the first and last goals respectively to give coach Farid El Karfa a welcome return.

“I am happy with the effort of the team today,” El Karfa said.

“We didn’t take our opposition lightly as we didn’t know what to expect. We showed character with a lot of fighting spirit from start to finish, so I am happy with our performance”.

X-Roads took control from the opening whistle and did not take long to open the scoring when Thompson capitalised on a weak clearance to blast past Kings goalkeeper, Chefton Hall to start the onslaught.

Teiko Lowe doubled the lead shortly after when he was quickest to respond to a loose ball to slot past Hall and Simons then scored his first with a header off the underside of the crossbar from a Thompson cross.

Marcelos Thomas had the first threatening attempt for Forty Kings midway through the half but his low drive went straight into the hands of X-Roads goalkeeper Garon Dowling.

Midfielder Khamori Brangman was next on the X-Roads scoresheet after receiving a pass unmarked and placing his shot beyond the outstretched arms of Hall before Thompson scored his second with a neat lob over the advancing Hall from a perfect Simons through ball.

Dowling was called upon again to dive full length to push Thomas’s stunning free-kick away from goal and then followed up to block captain Wolde Place’s attempted header from the rebound.

Kneiko Richardson closed out the scoring on the stroke of half time when he converted from a goalmouth scramble as the Warriors took a 6-0 lead into the break.

Half-time substitute Keedai Astwood injected some spark into the Kings’ attack with some darting runs down the flanks and their only goal of the game came when Kevin Hurdle got on the end of one of Astwood’s crosses to lay the ball into the path of Adriel Charles, who beat Dowling with a low drive.

X-Roads continued the onslaught and scored their seventh courtesy of an own goal by Kings’ Jason Davis when a cross took a deflection off his leg to wrong-foot Hall and squeeze in at the near post. Thompson then completed his hat-trick when a long kick forward was allowed to bounce, leaving the lengthy striker to run around his defender and lob the advancing Hall.

Substitute Charles Whited then tapped in at the back post before another defensive error let Thompson score his fourth with ease. Simons then closed out the scoring with his team’s final two goals – from a one-on-one and a header on the final whistle – to complete his hat-trick as X-Roads marched through to the next round.

Such was the spirit of the game that young assistant referee Dash Bailey, aged 13, traded the flag for the whistle in the 75th minute with the score at 9-1.

SCORERS

X-Roads Warriors: Thompson 11,26, 61, 75, Simons 16, 83, 90, T Lowe 14, Brangman 23, Richardson 45, Davis og 60, Whited 68

Footy Kings: Charles 49

TEAMS

X-Roads Warriors (4-1-4-1): G Dowling 6 — R Beek 6, C Smith 6, J Sousa 5 (sub: T Dill, 53min 5), J Dill 6 — T Daniels 6 — R Lowe 6 (sub: J Sanchez, 63 5), K Brangman 6( sub: T Lowe, 63 5), P Simons 7, K Richardson 6 (sub: C Whited, 63 6)— D Thompson 7.

Forty Kings (4-2-3-1): C Hall 5 — D West 5 (sub: K Astwood, 46 6), A Rocker 6, W Place 6 (sub: V Minors, 53 5), M Xnohamed 6 — D Martin 6, J Davis 6, O Ray 5, A Charles 6, M Thomas 6 — K Hurdle 6.

Referee: R Douglas (D Bailey).