Waders smash five in a real Christmas cracker

This derby fixture is fast earning a reputation for delivering goals and incident and the latest installment certainly lived up to this with three penalties and a red card added to the seven goals.

After early exchanges and strong running into the boxthe Waders were awarded a penalty for handball by Ryan Frater, smashed home by Effiong in just the third minute.

Just three minutes later it was 2-0 when Tony Burnett turned and fired home.

With a little over quarter of an hour Waders fans among the bumper 328 crowd were in dreamland. A tug on Craig Daniel’s shirt in the St Neots box saw the referee point to the spot for a second penalty, and dismiss the culprit Brett Longden. Effiong made no mistake with the penalty and Biggleswade were three goals up.

Down to ten men the Saints re-organised and tried to break down the Waders, but the running of Rees and Marsh with the calmness of Michael King stood firm. An exquisite passing movement involving King again found Effiong who lobbed the keeper for his hat-trick and the home side were four goals up just past the half hour.

It was so nearly a magical five before half time as Daniel let fly, smashing the crossbar from 25 yards out. The ball was then delivered straight down the other end for St Neots’ Tom Meecham to strike and remind the hosts the points weren’t certain yet.

The Saints came out in the second half wanting to put things right and on 57 minutes a tremendous strike from Meecham on the turn hit the back stanchion with such force it bounced out.

Some serious defending kept the Saints at bay only for Waders to foul on the edge of the area and the referee pointed to the spot, the third penalty of the match.

A scoreline of 4-3 and a very tense finish beckoned but a soft penalty from Meecham presented Ian Brown with little problem as he dived to his left to save.

Burnett dropped back to pick up the Saints’ Ben Jones who was spurring the visitors on and this started to stem the flow of attacks on the Waders back four.

Substitutions by the Waders brought fresh legs into the fray, Vincent on for the hard working hat-trick man Effiong with Burnett and King making way for Lee Allinson and young Ollie Lee.

With new vigour the Waders took posession and duly supplied Daniel to make it 5-2 with a couple of minutes to go.