Burns bonanza as SPEC FC hit seven

It didn’t take long for the Bananas to double their lead and after some good build up play, Ashley Burns’ telling cross ended up eluding everyone at the near post allowing Sam Freedman to hammer in his first goal for the club.

As the half time whistle blew, Boca would have been happy to have kept it to two and had a chance to plot their way back into the game.

If Boca’s game-plan included not conceding for the next 20 minutes then it was working a treat as although the Bananas huffed and puffed, they couldn’t find the third goal to kill off the game.

Ryan Monk was pulling off save after save and whether he was diving at the feet of attackers or flying into higher ground; he was on a one-man mission to keep SPEC to just the two goals.

Cometh the hour (mark), cometh the man, Burns who was wearing one sock inside out, apparently due to superstition decided to boost SPEC’s goal difference and he did so magnificently. JC Star Man took a quick throw in and Burns simply allowed the ball to run across his body before curling in a fantastic effort with his ‘weaker’ left foot. A sensational goal on any day but on an especially bobbly surface, this one was right out of the top drawer.

Boca upped their game and although SPEC pushed for more, by hook or by crook there was no change to the score line after SPEC had three goals correctly ruled out. The first for an almost comical mix up in the six-yard box after Monk pulled off another astonishing double save from two Lawrence headers. The ball eventually found its way to Craig Cohen whose header was all but in only for his team-mate, Freedman to help it on its way only to be flagged off side. Leaving a few red faces in the SPEC side, none more so than Freedman himself.

Burns then headed in another goal but despite his quick thinking to jump up just in time to turn his header goalwards, he too was offside. The travellin’ man Marc Hecht then had a goal ruled out for a handball much to his annoyance.

Just after Cohen rattled the post, both himself and Bookatz were withdrawn and their replacements Dan Cohen and Rob Murray’s fresh legs gave SPEC new lease of life and some good build up play allowed Burns to play a delightful ball to Hecht, who took the ball out of the air like a ribbon in the sky to make it four ensuring the Banana army would be going home overjoyed.

Hecht could have doubled his goal tally for the day but put himself forward for miss of the season instead. Lawrence carried the ball through the heart of the Boca defence and squared the ball to the flying Scotsman to apply the finish only to see his shot whistle past the post. Hecht sunk to his knees and despite another star performance it’ll be that miss he’ll be having nightmares about.

SPEC weren’t done though and Adam Wilson then went on a great run before laying the ball off to Dan Cohen who after some great work laid the ball off into Freedman who intelligently fed Lawrence who unselfishly squared the ball to Rob Murray who finished with aplomb.

Boca refused to go down without a fight and instead of just blowin’ in the wind mounted a great attack down the left side and put in a great cross to allow Jamie Weinrich to head home a thumping header, leaving the impressive Lee Duskwick no chance to make the score 5-1.

SPEC upped their game again and after some great build up work between Lawrence, and the fantastic Oli Levy, Rob Murray did very well to play in Burns to stroke the ball past Monk’s fingertips and into the back of the net for his fourth double of the season.

With Doug Berlin getting itchy feet to go forward in an attempt to notch his first goal, it was left to his partner at the back Nick Wallis to mount one final attack for SPEC and after some good football from the Bananas. They won a corner from which Ricky Lawrence was tripped in the box. Lawrence, gave the ball to his midfield partner (Burns) who planned to make it a very happy birthday on Tuesday, by getting his name in the JC and that’s exactly what he did as he put the ball right out of Monk’s reach for a very deserved hat trick.

Boca can consider themselves unlucky that they faced a SPEC side hungry for goals, but if Burns is in this mood every week, then heaven help us all. The result means Boca stay rooted to the bottom of the table but SPEC see themselves creepin’ up the table into fourth but Brady do have games in hand over them.

After the game Laurence Conway was understandably very pleased with his troops. “Full credit to my players. They came into the game with the correct attitude, were not complacent and kept going right till the end. Even though we scored seven, had it not been for some good stops from their keeper, it could have been a lot more.

"It is nice for us to get some goals, but now we turn our concentration to our final game of the year next week, and aim to finish 2011 on a high.

"For once in my life I am actually going to be nice to Ashley for a whole week given that not only is it his birthday on Tuesday but he was also fantastic today and got the hat-trick his performance deserved. I told him, you are the sunshine of my life and that his goals have been vital to us this season.”