YATELEY II 1, ALTON 5

ALTON chalked up their 14th victory in 15 games, and it was predictably a convincing one against lowly Yateley twos.

In the earlier Hampshire 3 fixture, Alton had won 6-0 and they were aiming to repeat the dose, despite the snowy conditions.

The visitors immediately forced Yateley on the defensive, with the midfield moving the ball around nicely and causing problems for the home defence.

The pressure soon yielded the first goal as Martin Kercher, later to be named man of the match, slotted the ball home.

Kercher again eluded his marker to score the second, but Yateley were not going down without a fight and looked dangerous on the counter-attack.

Shortly before half-time, they spotted a gap in the Alton defence and a deft deflection narrowed the deficit to 2-1.

The next goal would be crucial and Alton now knew they could not underestimate their opponents.

Defenders Jonny Dane, Harry Curtis and Dan Trim moved the ball around nicely and pushed forward in support of the midfield.

Cracks began to appear in the stubborn Yateley defence as Alton gained momentum and Stuart Gagen connected with a fast ball in from Richard Spicer to score the third goal and settle any nerves.

As Yateley began to retreat into their own half, Alton’s midfield advanced and Kercher completed his hat-trick after chasing down a long ball and rounding the keeper.

Skipper Nigel Downing put the game well and truly to bed with the fifth goal, capitalising on Yateley’s confusion as Alton overloaded their circle.

Alton are back at Amery Hill this Saturday for a tough challenge against third-placed Fareham IV.