Woodlands Reserves 3-0 Ashton Prime

Prime returned to action with a severely weakened squad. Mellors turned his ankle in training and he was joined on the sidelines by Kneebone who got stuck in traffic. These two were among a total of more than 10 squad members unavailable, meaning Matthew Betts was called up for his debut and Rich Davis returned on the bench.

The Tonbridge outfit started the game as they meant to go on, by knocking the ball around to feet and Prime were struggling to get a foot-hold in the game.

Goulding and Excell - Prime's makeshift central-midfield combination were second-best as Woodlands' wiley playmaker was given far too much time to pick his passes.

Despite their pressure, Goldsmith and Gilbert were marshalling the Woodlands sole striker well and the home side did not create any clear-cut chances until the half-hour mark when their striker forced Latter into a smart save.

Prime's best moments came down the right-wing with Skovborg-Hansen's pace looking a threat. Barker's hard work up front nearly resulted in him getting in just before the break.

At the break, Prime were relieved to come in level, knowing they would surely improve in the second period. But no improvement came.

Woodlands deservedly took the lead when a through ball was played over Barnham, releasing their striker in the inside-left channel. Gilbert gained ground and seemed set to shepherd the ball to safety, but Latter had rushed from his goal and as the ball held up on the sticky surface, he was beaten to the ball and the lobbed effort from the striker was tapped home by the on-rushing left-winger.

The Numbers seemed to suddenly wake up and a flowing move resulted in a half-chance for Barker.

But Woodlands soon doubled their lead with a virtual carbon-copy of the first goal. Another chipped through ball released their striker who again beat the on-rushing Latter to the ball to trickle the ball into the net.

Goulding was suffering with cramp and was replaced by Davis as Prime sought a way back into the game. But their play was predictable and their passing anything but crisp.

The aerial threat posed by Betts seemed to be their best outlet, but none of his flicks quite fell for Barker.

A third goal came direct from a corner as the ball curled in at the near post, beating both Excell on the near post and Latter's belated dive.

Sturmey replaced the stricken Gilbert for the final 10 and Prime kept things tight at least, without really creating a note-worthy chance.

The manager knows that several players were missing today and will spend the week pondering changes for the trip to Dowgate. There are likely to be several!

Man of the Match: Skovborg-Hansen - Looked most threatening and battled on well despite not being fully fit.