St Martins Football Club will host a club celebration night starting at 6pm at The Venue on Saturday, October 8.

The club is inviting ex-players, associate players, officials and partners to a celebration of the club’s history.

Tickets to the event cost £5, which includes a buffet meal. For further details contact Terry Ellis on 01691 778208 or Peter Morris on 01691 777350.

 

West Midlands Regional League Division One

Penncroft 5, St Martins 3

St Martins slumped to their fifth defeat of the season in a high-scoring affair at Penncroft on Saturday.

St Martins now lie 12th in the league table after an underwhelming start to the 2016-17 campaign.

A Keith Thomas hat-trick helped to secure a 5-3 victory for Penncroft, who began the day three places below their opponents.

The visitors were lucky not go behind after just four minutes when Nathan Jackson lobbed St Martins goalkeeper Dan Griffiths, but his effort rebounded off the crossbar to safety.

The breakthrough came on 20 minutes when a long ball out of the home defence was latched on to by Thomas, who netted with a well-taken finish into the corner.

Galavanised by their opening goal, there was no let-up in pressure from Penncroft and Thomas again went close when his header struck the crossbar following an inswinging corner from the right.

Parity was restored on 30 minutes when Tim Eaton rose highest to head home a St Martins corner.

Having drawn level, St Martins looked comfortable approaching half-time but were undone by another effort from Thomas, who prodded the ball home from close range to put his side ahead at the break.

An improved St Martins side dominated the early stages of the second half and they got the equaliser their play merited when Penncroft failed to clear a cross into the box from Jacob Ellis and Jamie Hands pounced to fire home and make it 2-2.

The visitors should have gone ahead minutes later when Hands chased down a long ball and slotted the ball under the Penncroft keeper, but the linesman controversially flagged for offside.

The decision proved to be a turning point as Penncroft took the lead after 65 minutes when Nathan Jackson nodded home a cross from the flank.

Collectively, St Martins’ spirits appeared to drop and Penncroft took full advantage as Thomas fired home a free-kick to make it 4-2.

It got worse for the visitors when Thomas unselfishly played in substitute Andy Roberts, who stroked the ball home to make it 5-2.

A late flurry of St Martins chances culminated in a late consolation from Richard Chamberlain as he made it 5-3, but the game was already over as a contest.