Leaders Lancing hit six in win over Wick

The visitors to Culver Road, only kept off the bottom on goal difference, could have been a potential banana skin for Richard Whittington’s league leaders, but his rotated team banished any doubts with a dominant display.

Lancing, who have now won all seven of their league games, were on the front foot from the off in their first game on the new 3G surface at Culver Road.

Lancers went ahead in the eighth minute. Wade Eason, one of the changes in the line-up, slotted in a one-on-one finish for his first Lancing goal on his maiden start.

Jared Rance’s snap-shot was well saved by Wick keeper Billy Nash, who then saved well from Eason before the striker smashed the rebound against a post.

The match was all one-way traffic so it came as a shock when the visitors drew level through Joe Matthews’ speculative 20-yarder shortly before the half-hour.

Parity did not last long, though, as Lancers went back ahead six minutes later. In a game in which there were several goal-of-the-season contenders, this one from Dave O’Callaghan was right up there when the playmaker’s dipping 25-yard strike from an angle beat Nash all ends up and flew into the top corner.

George Fenton rattled the crossbar before Lancers moved further ahead ten minutes before the interval when the outstanding Liam Hendy crashed home a volley from Rance’s corner.

Eason poked in the fourth after a melee from a corner to make it four on the cusp of the interval, before Lancers stretched their lead after the break.

O’Callaghan clipped in his second on 53 minutes, before substitutes Callum McHale and Richard Greenfield both went close to a sixth.

O’Callaghan fired across goal and Mike Williamson had an effort well saved, before Rance had an effort chalked out for offside.

Greenfield, who had earlier missed arguably the easiest chance of the match, then completed the scoring with another long-range screamer in added time to complete a comprehensive rout.

Lancers manager Richard Whittington said: “Our passing and movement was excellent, we scored some cracking goals and there were some superb individual performances. We scored six but could have had 20.

“We showed that we’ve got excellent strength in depth in the squad and were able to utilise that to the full tonight, which is also pleasing.”

Lancers travel to third-placed Horsham in the league on Saturday and are then at sixth-placed Pagham on Tuesday.

LANCING: Punter; Mills, J.Spinks, Sharman, Fenton; Hendy, Bowra; Williamson, O’Callaghan, Rance; Eason. Subs: McHale (Eason 63), Greenfield (Rance 70), A.Spinks (O’Callaghan 76), Finney, Fair.

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