NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL: Jack is already a best Friend for March Town - but he becomes the enemy of his former club with debut hat-trick
March Town players celebrate a goal from Jack Friend (centre) against Wisbech St Mary. Picture: IAN CARTER. - Credit: Archant
New signing Jack Friend made an instant impact with a debut hat-trick to help March Town roar to Fenland derby glory . . . and his former club were on the receiving end.
New March Town signing Jack Friend gets in a header against old club Wisbech St Mary. Picture: IAN CARTER. - Credit: Archant
Friend joined the Hares from Wisbech St Mary late last week and helped his new club beat his old team-mates 5-0 in a Thurlow Nunn League First Division North clash at the GER last Saturday.
Captain Max Mattless broke the deadlock 10 minutes before half-time after Rob Conyard headed a Jack Rawson free-kick back across the face of goal.
Saints were then reduced to 10 men when Sol Goodby was dismissed on the stroke of half-time for a lunging challenge on Hares defender Jamie Short.
And Brett Whaley’s men quickly made the most of their numerical advantage to double the lead through Friend’s first goal for the club as he nodded in a Dylan Kilford cross.
Action from March Town's big derby victory against Wisbech St Mary. Picture: IAN CARTER. - Credit: Archant
You may also want to watch:
Friend went on to strike twice more in the second period before Conyard completed the scoring with a quarter-of-an-hour to go as March claimed their biggest win of an exciting campaign.
Boss Whaley said: “We were looking for a reaction after going out of a cup to another set of local rivals in our previous game – and we certainly got it.
Most Read
- 1 Police officer sacked for racially abusing colleague at Christmas party
- 2 Cambridgeshire police officer dismissed after conduct hearing
- 3 Historian who wrote 126 books and spent 64 years bellringing dies aged 90
- 4 Trades group hears of alarming rise in shop worker abuse amid Covid
- 5 Police hunt homemade go-kart ‘causing anti-social behaviour’
- 6 Rural crime police recover dog in ‘poor state’ while on site check
- 7 BBC drama Casualty storyline to feature pelvic mesh implant scandal
- 8 Mum caught driving with revoked license on school run gets car seized
- 9 Fen farm on more than 200 acres of land up for sale for £2.2million
- 10 Vicar's concerns over 'hugely vulnerable' rough sleepers
“It’s a substantial win an even better that it arrived in a derby. It was a scrappy, horrible game for half-an-hour, but we kept doing the right things and got our rewards.
“Jack could hardly have enjoyed a better debut. He is a player with a great knack of getting in goalscoring positions and he takes plenty of chances as well.
March Town debutant Jack Friend surrounded by former Wisbech St Mary team-mates. Picture: IAN CARTER. - Credit: Archant
“He scored four goals in his final game for Wisbech St Mary and then hit a hat-trick in his first game for us.
“Jack’s focus is now on helping us to finish as high as we can in the league table and his contribution last Saturday will certainly help that.”
The derby drubbing provided a first defeat for new Wisbech St Mary boss Joe Simpson, who replaced Arran Duke in the hotseat earlier this month.
Duke was sacked by Saints after 10 years in charge and has now taken on a new role at March. He is working with the Hares’ Under 18 and reserve sides, and also carrying out some scouting duties for Whaley.
March now go to Cornard this Saturday, 3pm.
