CITY Reserves returned to winning ways in emphatic style with a 7-0 victory over Stevenage Borough Reserves in this Totesport.com Combination - East Division fixture at Carrow Road.
Cody McDonald helped himself to a hat-trick with Jamie Cureton and the impressive Josh Dawkin notching braces. Dawkin, who made his senior debut as a sub against Gillingham in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy last week, was at the heart of everything good for City - playing at the point of a diamond midfield.
Coach Ian Crook fielded a starting XI containing eight players who have experienced first team football this season - with only Dario Dumic, Danny Kelly and Damon Lathrope having not.
Returning to action after two months out was Matt Gill, who played the first half. The midfielder, signed from Exeter City in the summer, having been sidelined by patella tendonitis since mid-August.
City took just four minutes to open the scoring. Tom Adeyemi won possession just outside the Stevenage Borough penalty box and the ball fell to the feet of Cody McDonald, who slid his finish under Ashley Bayes.
Bayes pulled off a superb double save a minute later to first deny Jamie Cureton and then McDonald.
A slick move carved open the visitor's defence for City's second on 14 minutes - started by the returning Gill. The midfielder fed Cureton whose combination play with McDonald put the latter through on goal. Bayes got a hand to the striker's shot, but only succeeded in redirecting it into the path of Josh Dawkin for a tap-in.
The Welsh youth international winger made it three just three minutes later. David Stephens met a long free-kick forward and his header set-up fellow central defender Danny Kelly, however Bayes was able to block Kelly's effort, but again only to Dawkin, who had the easiest of headers for his second of the match.
Cureton went close to a fourth midway through the half. Gill released Adeyemi down the right and his low cross was met on the half-volley at the near post by Cureton, but went inches wide of the far post.
Bayes saved well twice in the space of two minutes around the half-hour mark, first denying Adeyemi after McDonald had slipped the midfielder in and then McDonald himself.
City's fourth owed as much to the slide-rule pass of Dawkin as it did to the finish of Cureton, beating Bayes at his near post.
Cureton went close twice before the interval, the second a delightful chip from just inside the area, which had Bayes beaten but dropped the wrong side of the post from a City perspective.
Half-Time: City Reserves 4, Stevenage Borough Reserves 0
Crook made two changes at half-time, withdrawing Gill and Michael Theoklitos for Johnbull Osemwegie and Jed Steer - himself returning from a thumb injury.
Stevenage started the second half brighter and Steer had to tip a lob from sub Jack Cornhill on to the bar and then got up quickly to save the rebound from Peter Vincenti.
City should have made it five from a corner. Cureton won the header at the far post and Kelly failed to connect with his header with the goal beckoning.
After a bizarre free-kick award to the visitors, Steer was forced into a good save low down to his right from Stacy Long.
Cureton thought he had made it five when he turned Dawkin's cross goalwards but it bounced back off the inside of the post and across the goaline but was cleared to safety.
Minutes later it was five when Stevenage Borough failed to track the run of McDonald from Rhoys Wiggins' cross and the striker was presented with a simple header from close range.
Remy Gordon came on after 65 minutes for his reserve team debut, replacing Tom Adeyemi.
McDonald completed his hat-trick, with a smart turn and shot from the edge of the area on 70 minutes.
Dawkin was again the architect for Cureton, sliding the striker in behind the defence and the 34-year-old finished well beyond the beleaguered Bayes.
Cureton almost had his hat-trick just minutes later, but his powerful drive came back off the bar. With five minutes left the striker didn't connect properly with an effort after combining well with McDonald.
Full-Time: City Reserves 7, Stevenage Borough Reserves 0
CITY: Theoklitos (Steer 46), Dumic, Wiggins, Kelly, Stephens, Gill (Osemwegie 46), Lathrope (c), Adeyemi (Gordon 65), McDonald, Cureton, Dawkin. Subs: Clarke, Brindley.
Stevenage Borough: Bayes, Elakahssi, Birri, Koyama (Cornhill 46), Albrighton, Mayunga (Marenghi 60), Vincenti, Long, Mattos, Smith (Powell 46), Greene. Subs not used: Rayner (GK), Moss.
Referee: M. Bull
Attendance: 746
Pictures courtesy of Aaron Murrell
