Goodwick United 5.

Carew 0.

Five first-half goals without response were positive proof of the quality football supplied by Goodwick United as they were totally on top of basement battlers Carew at Phoenix Park.

Carew deserve praise, however, for refusing to totally submit and with the wind and driving rain in their favour they could at least take some comfort from a scoreless second period where they rarely looked like scoring but had much more of the play territorially.

But they were certainly under the cosh from the outset as Steve Evans (Jnr) latched onto an early error by the Carew defence to tap the ball past Matthew Phillips, making a welcome return from a broken leg, but having to watch as Evans tapped the ball into the empty Carew net.

From then until the interval it was only a matter of how many goals Goodwick would score as their excellent back four of Darren Devonald, Wayne O’Sullivan, Anthony Couzens and man of the match Patrick Hughes played well in not only shackling the Carew attack but ensuring a steady stream of ‘go forward’ ball for James Dean, and Lewis Banks to utilise, ably assisted by Keiran O’Brien and Tom Jones.

They set up the chances for front men Ryan Thomas and Evans, who set up the second from close range by Thomas after he had dispossessed Gareth Lewis and slid the ball in from the right. Goodwick added a third from the kick off as Tom Jones beat his marker on the right and his low cross was touched in by the lurking Evans.

Lewis Banks hit the base of a post from a corner and James Dean had a shot cleared off the line before a deflected shot from Devonald was tipped over his bar by Phillips before the homesters added a fourth goal when a Ryan Thomas cross allowed Dean to hook the ball into the far top corner of the net.

Worse was to follow because veteran Carew midfielder Paul Bullock deflected a ball into his own net for an own goal and half time arrived with Carew not having brought a single save out of Goodwick keeper Carl Woodhouse.

The deteriorating weather saw both teams and referee Jeff Hurton, who had a good game, deserve medals just for staying out there but although Carew’s Sam Harts, Wayne Cannon and Ben Jones never stop running they rarely looked like scoring, and Goodwick were unable to maintain their close-passing sequences so that there were no further goals.

Carew left still seeking their first win as Goodwick celebrated their fourth win in six outings.