McLoughlin delighted as Stotfold beat Flackwell Heath
Stotfold boss Eddie McLoughlin was overjoyed his side ended their run of four straight Southern League Division One Central draws with a 2-0 victory over Flackwell Heath on Saturday.
Taylor Rhiney put the hosts in front on 25 minutes, before Taylor Franklin's strike early in the second period secured all three points.
McLoughlin said: “I’m delighted to be winning the game.
"We’ve been on a long unbeaten run, but the last four games were draws, so we had a good chat with the squad on Thursday and talked about what our expectations are.
"We’ve probably over-achieved in terms of where I thought we’d be when we started the season, but the run of form we've been in, we’re in a position we're desperate to stay in.
"It's really important to go and deliver and we did that.
"It wasn't always the prettiest, Flackwell played some really good stuff at times, and we had to make sure we were disciplined out of possession.
"We did and we scored twice. We should have put the game to bed, the goalkeeper has pulled off an excellent save, but overall, a 2-0 win at home, clean sheet, so I’m delighted.”
Stotfold visit Thame United on Saturday and entertain Potters Bar Town next Tuesday evening.
Stotfold Reserves were beaten 1-0 at Rushden & Higham United in their SSM Division One clash on Saturday.
» Potton United ended a run of three SSML Premier Division games without a win, as they beat Arlesey Town 2-1 on Saturday, writes Nigel Langthorp.
The hosts were dealt a blow prior to kick-off when centre half Dan Wappett was injured in the warm-up and replaced by midfielder Mike Evans, with Harry Dollimore coming into the side.
Dollimore and Jordan Brown had shots blocked, but Arlesey began to look dangerous, Aston Parsons shooting over the bar, while Steve Burford was narrowly wide.
At the other end, Alie Bangura saw his attempt blocked after a good run forward, as he then combined with Evans whose effort was deflected behind.
Dollimore's 25-yard drive flew wide as Ezra Forde was off target, but Potton led on 40 minutes, Dollimore firing home from outside the box,
Lamin Bangura headed narrowly wide following a corner, as after the break, Forde went close, before Potton doubled their lead on 55 minutes, Brown on target.
Both sides made numerous substitutions during this half and it appeared to give Arlesey more impetus, Bartosz Wolowicz’s cross evading his team-mates.
Axel Owosu shot narrowly wide for the visitors while Karl Osborne hit the top of the crossbar before seeing the rebound go behind for a goal kick.
With two minutes left, Arlesey pulled one back, Ugonna Ndudi scoring with a low shot.
During stoppage time, the Blues thought they had rescued a point when they put the ball into the net, but it was disallowed for handball.
Arlesey host Biggleswade United in the league on Tuesday night.