Pieces of eight for rampant AFC

AFC Dunstable firmly put the disappointment of exiting the FA Vase and three winless games in the league behind them to hammer eight past Broxbourne Borough on Saturday.

The hosts also ended a run of three league games without a goal, thanks to hat-tricks for both Nathan Frater and BJ Christie, with Jason Beck and Jermaine Hall on the scoresheet too.

None of the 45-strong crowd would have seen the scoreline coming after a first half where the teams were evenly matched.

AFC broke the deadlock on 23 minutes as Frater prodded the ball home from close range, before Christie slipped away from Matt Turpin and set up an unmarked Frater for his second just before the interval.

In the second period, Christie thought he had opened his account on 47 minutes but the goal was disallowed, although that led to a devastating nine minute spell that destroyed the visitors.

First, Moses Olaleye picked out Beck who headed home after 51 minutes, while five minutes later, Christie had the ball in the net again but it was cancelled out for offside.

The striker didn’t have to wait long to finally score, as 60 seconds later he broke clear to chalk up AFC’s 4th.

There was no respite for Broxbourne as again within a minute it was 5-0 when Christie was upended by Boro’s keeper Emmanuel Olajide and up stepped Frater to complete his hat-trick from the spot.

It got worse on the hour for the visitors too, as Beck set up Christie to score the sixth.

With still half an hour to go, it was looking like AFC would get to double figures, with Broxbourne having to thank Olajide for keeping the home forwards a bay, as they went for the jugular.

The visiting keeper denied Christie twice before making a smart save from Charlie Gorman and then kept out Hall too.

Late on, both Hall (87) and Christie (89) to complete his hat-trick, fired a goal apiece to record AFC’s biggest in the SSML Premier Division since their debut season in 2011-12.

Although three 10-0 wins in the club’s 2006-7 title winning season in Division Two remain just out of reach, boss Steve Heath said: “I thought the lads performed superb. It is no fluke it happened, as we have worked hard in training to deliver it.

“To be fair to Broxbourne’s management team, they told me they did not have a weakened team and the majority of them that played put six past Berkhamsted recently.”

With leaders London Colney losing 1-0 at Hoddesdon Town, AFC now trail top spot by four points with a game in hand.

This weekend, AFC travel to fifth-placed Wembley.

AFC: Perks, Massay, N Carney, Beck, Griffiths, B Carney, Gorman, Olaleye, Christie, Humbert, Frater. Subs used: Hall, Jones, Darby.

Attendance: 45.