Pugh what a scorcher from Ben

[caption id="attachment_61888" align="alignleft" width="345" caption="Mark Draycott congratulates goal scorer Ben Pugh"][/caption]

If Poole hope to be Brutus to Hungerford’s Caesar, Supermarine were in the role of Casca, but they failed to carry out the softening up job as Hungerford shook them off with a determined showing that underlines that they have the mettle to cope with the pressure at the top.
That means not only coping with the top side, but the lowly ones as well, and Hungerford go to Winchester on Tuesday night to face a side that ended an eight-match losing streak on Saturday. “We’ve spoken about this,” said manager Bobby Wilkinson, “and we have to make sure that we don’t waste what we’ve done against Supermarine.”
Supermarine were a good side. They moved the ball well in the first half, built patiently and linked well down both flanks to cause problems. But they also wobbled under pressure at the back, notably when Craig Curtis failed to cut out a Scott Rees dink through and let in Ben Pugh to go on and take his chance well.
And they wasted their best chances, the two best falling to top scorer Ashley Edenborough, who scoffed two Dan Hilder assists with a poor header at Paul Strudley and a poor shot at nowhere in particular.
Hungerford also had a clear opening to establish some daylight when Pugh played in James Clark, but he could not beat Kent Kauppinen from point-blank range.
It was breath-holding time for Hungerford before the break when Jordan Roberts went down in a crowded box as he attempted to head for the by-line.
It was a decent shout but often they fail, as did this one, and Supermarine never looked quite so dangerous thereafter. That was down to Hungerford’s rearguard and increased pressure all over the park that prompted more errors and might have prompted better finishes from Pugh and Draycott but did prompt desperately last-gasp clearances from Jon Steedman.
And it was Hungerford who went closest to adding a second goal when Matt Day’s rasping free kick cannoned back off the post from 35 yards with nobody finding the energy to get in and convert the rebound. All that had been used in a scintillating game.

Strudley; Hughes, Boardman, Day, Horgan; Clark, Rees, Brewer, O’Brien; Pugh, Draycott. Subs: Herring, Goodger, Stow, Gray, Wood.