Chipping Norton Town 4    Adderbury Park 1

Caretaker manager Phil Heath celebrated returning to the hot seat with a comfortable 4-1 success over Adderbury Park on Saturday. Heath, who has stepped back into the fold on a temporary basis whilst the club search for a replacement to the recently departed Tim Fowler, rang the changes and several players were shuffled around in new positions. Chris Stanley slotted across to his preferred centre-half post, whilst Ben Gregg's energy was put to use at right-back. Darren Mills played in his old left-back slot allowing Tim Jenkins to push into midfield with Andrew Helby. This in turn resulted in Jamie Clarke joining Mark Dennis in attack.

On a wet pitch with muddy patches in the middle it was a fairly good quality opening to the game, and it did not take long for Chippy to get their noses in front. After ten minutes Mark Dennis was hacked to the ground midway in the Adderbury half, and from the free-kick Helby's floated delivery to the far post was nodded back across goal by Anthony Akers for Clarke to nip in ahead of the keeper and head home.

Just ten minutes later the lead was doubled, Mark Johnson set Clarke away galloping down the right channel, and his ball inside was met by Dennis who stroked the ball home calmly from 12-yards. A couple of minutes later and the game was as good as over, Tim Jenkins, who's delivery from the left was exemplary early on, played a cross field ball for Dennis, allowing him to return the favour to Clarke, unselfishly squaring the ball for Clarke to side-foot home into a an empty net after he'd sucked the keeper out of position.

Chippy sat back now with job as good as done, the pitch was cutting up and passing the ball through midfield became less of an option and this restricted Town's early slick passing. The visitors were getting stuck in, but didn't trouble Magpie keeper Chris Brain at all in the first half, Akers and Stanley not giving the opposing strikers a sniff of goal and the score remained 3-0 at the break.

Half-Time 3-0

Ben Gregg tweaked a groin early on and was replaced by Jason Eley and Adderbury came out firing, putting together a sustained 15-minute spell of pressure which Chippy just about saw out. Brain was forced into a splendid diving save, and then Dean Barker blazed a good chance high and wide for Park. Chippy looked dangerous on the break though, with Dennis holding the ball up well and Clarke running the channels to good effect. Dennis was again fouled for the umpteenth time midway through the half, and Helby's free-kick scraped the woodwork. Helby should then have done much better when being set-up by Dennis, he cut back onto his left foot and attempted a delicate chip, which again struck the post.

The visitors were rewarded for their spirited second-half performance with a consolation goal with quarter of an hour to go, Phil Black firing home a loose ball when a free-kick was no cleared effectively. Chippy responded well to the setback and Clarke's fine effort was well saved by Collier in the Adderbury goal, then substitute Steve Perkins' shot was blocked in the box when it appeared to be heading in. The game was sealed when Helby picked the ball up on halfway, nutmegged the Peter Kay looky-likey in the Park midfield, played a neat one-two with Clarke and produced a peach of a finish, dinking the ball over the advancing keeper into the roof of the net.

So a comfortable and expected victory for Chippy who are back in league action at Henley on Tuesday night, in what is a key game in their battles to remain in the Hellenic League Premier.

TEAM: Chris Brain 7, Ben Gregg 7 (Jason Eley 49), Darren Mills 7, Anthony Akers 7, Chris Stanley 7, Nick Basson 7, Mark Johnson 6, Andrew Helby 6, Tim Jenkins 7, Jamie Clarke 8*, Mark Dennis 7 (Steve Perkins 63)