CHARD 3 OLDLAND ABBOTS 0

Chard's quick fire double in the first sixteen minutes could have killed the O's off in a game delayed by half an hour while the O's arrived through heavy traffic. But despite then conceding a third early in the second half, the eleven men didn't wilt and had the bulk of the chances in the second half but didn't convert them.

With the game kicking off at 3.30pm and Oldland having less than twenty minutes to change, warm up and get onto the pitch, it was no surprise that they didn't get off to the best of starts. Debutant keeper Sam Jones was helpless in goal as Clark poked the ball past him into the corner on three minutes.

Clark went close to adding a second on eight minutes when his lob dropped onto the roof of the net but after sixteen minutes, Louis Gillman was alllowed time and space to smash home a second into the top corner from twelve yards.

Although threatening occasionally, the O's were struggling to adapt to the huge slope and as a result, first half chances were few and far between. Jordan Greenwood and Ryan Nicholls went close with headers but home keeper Nathan Whatley was untroubled.

Richard Hebditch and Jamie Underwood saw chances go wide while Jones pulled off two impressive saves to deny Clark and Gillman again.

O's had an early scare in the second half when Underwood headed into the side netting but the respite was only temporary as Clark hit an unstoppable drive into the top corner eight minutes after the break.

As the half wore on, O's found playing downhill much more to their liking and used the slope to their advantage. Gary Shorney and Nicholls tested the Chard keeper, Ashley Bernard was a yard wide with a rampaging run and shot from midfield and Jason Side also went close with a cheeky backflick.

Shorney, Lucas Hart, Scott Robson, Jordan Richards and Tom Hutton all had opportunities but saw them either go wide or saved by the keeper as the O's restricted Chard to just one half chance in the last half hour.