Watts stars, as Hungerford win 9-3 to decimate Plymouth Parkway

It was a simply incredible Saturday for Hungerford Town Football Club.

As they prepared to host Plymouth Parkway, both squad and manager understood that only a win would do.

Five defeats in their first seven league games had left them faltering in the league, with the club at risk of losing touch with the play-off contenders, while crashing out of the FA Cup.

What followed was simply astonishing, as Hungerford smashed the visitors by an incredible nine goals to three.

“At Thursday’s training we had a big heart to heart with the whole squad”, said manager Danny Robinson.

“It had the positive reaction that we wanted and they took it fully into Saturday.

That reaction produced a simply ruthless performance, as the Crusaders obliterated their opponents in a dominant performance.

“We were devastating at times, absolutely devastating”, he said.

“There was a twenty minute period which was probably the best football I’ve ever witnessed my side play.

“They had a lot of fight. I could tell when I walked into the changing room before the game that the hunger was there, the desire to go and right a few wrongs.

“It’s a massive credit to the players, and my staff have been brilliant all week.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a game like that.”

Despite what would transpire, the game actually got off to a poor start for Hungerford, as Plymouth won and scored a penalty with just three minutes on the clock.

Hungerford refused to let that dent their belief however, as Elis Watts converted Jacob Bancroft’s cross to equalise in the tenth minute.

Five minutes later, Joe Shepherd nodded in Louis McGrory’s cross to put Hungerford ahead, and they didn’t look back from there on.

Just minutes later, Watts was played in by Bancroft again for a third, before striker Dawid Regula scored his first goal for the club thanks to a Shepherd through ball.

“He's just hungry, and that's one thing any manager can work with”, Robinson said of Regula.

“He wants to succeed at this level. He’s raw as an onion with certain things, but he’s all action.

“I call him ‘full thrash metal’, he puts a shift in for the team.”

Before half time, Watts secured his hattrick, assisted again by Bancroft to seal his seventh goal in eight league games.

Plymouth Parkway grabbed a second to send the sides into the break at 5-2.

Hungerford didn’t take long to add to their tally, as Regula grabbed his second, with Watts turning provider.

A Watt’s free kick on the hour mark found the head of Baboucarr Jarra for seven, before Zidan Akers came off the bench to make it eight, assisted by newly signed striker Tahjae Anderson who made his debut.

In the 89th, left-back Ramarni Medford-Smith made it 9-3, and that’s how it ended.

Watts took home Man of the Match for a simply magical performance which saw a hattrick and two assists

The result saw Town rise to 13th place, back in touch with the play-off chasers and full of a new found belief that on their day, they can dismantle any opponent.