Rampant United down Hawks (26.10.04)

THE Magpies finally produced a full 90 minutes of competitive football at York Road on Tuesday night, and in the process made the talent-packed Hawks look very ordinary indeed.
United dominated the game from the off, with striker Lawrence Yaku going close twice in the opening three minutes.
Nine minutes later he went even closer, when the Havant keeper Gareth Howells made a hash of a bouncing ball.
Yaku pinched possession but was forced wide and could only dink his shot across the face of the empty goal.
It was a sign of things to come, as United created chance after chance but without putting the ball in the back of the net – an all too familiar habit in recent weeks.
Craig O’Connor, who worked his socks off all night in a typically earnest display, forced Howells into action on 22 minutes, when his fierce drive was parried away.
O’Connor, Yaku and the excellent Jamie Cook then drew the attention of some rather robust tackling, as the Hawks attempted to turn the tide.
However, the Magpies continued to press forward, winning free-kicks and corners with monotonous regularity.
Eventually one of these appeared to have paid off, when the hard-working Barrie Matthews swung a corner over Howells’ head, and the loose ball was bundled over the line.
Infuriatingly, referee Alison Chapman ruled the goal out for a John Terry-esque foul on the keeper.
Still the Magpies pressed on, as Cook and O’Connor continued to lead the Havant defence on a merry dance.
Only the faintest of deflections took the ball off O’Connor’s head on 37 minutes, while the back-pedalling Howells had to make an excellent save to tip Cook’s strike-cum-cross over the bar five minutes later.
Whichever way you looked at it, Havant were extremely fortunate to reach the break on level terms.
Nonetheless, with Saturday’s second-half debacle against Eastbourne Borough fresh in their minds, the home fans’ expectations were necessarily low.
Thankfully they were to be pleasantly surprised, as the Magpies emerged from the break and immediately resumed their onslaught on the Havant goal.
Within 30 seconds of the restart O’Connor forced Howells into a near-post save, Cook then headed marginally high from a good position, followed by Rob Saunders driving a shot across the face of goal.
All the Magpies’ endeavours finally paid off on 56 minutes, when debutant keeper Andy Goldman thumped the ball up field for Yaku to chase.
Leaving the defence flapping in his wake, Yaku shimmied to his right to avoid the onrushing keeper, who callously smashed the striker to the floor on the edge of the box.
Howells should have walked, but was only yellow carded, while Yaku was carted off to the changing rooms.
Justice was partially done, however, as Cook blasted home the spot-kick to deservedly break the deadlock.
The goal prompted the visitors into some belated action but their illustrious line up, including multi-million pound striker Dean Holdsworth, could find no way through the outstanding Magpies rearguard, marshaled by club captain and man of the match Brian Connor on his 350th appearance. United came close to increasing their lead on 65 minutes, when superb work by O’Connor set up Matthews, who was only denied by a flying save from Howells.
Cook sent a low drive whistling past Howells’ post five minutes later, as the Magpies continued to control the game.
Having earlier missed a sitter, substitute Richard Harris finally netted on 83 minutes, only to have the effort ruled out for an offside decision.
The luckless striker then deflected O’Connor’s goalbound shot wide of the post.
O’Connor reacted with undisguised fury, but all was forgiven minutes later, as the final whistle announced United’s first league victory – home or away – since August Bank Holiday Monday.