Craig Westcarr scores five as Hucknall Town hammer Borrowash Victoria

Craig Westcarr scored five in Hucknall's 10-2 win over Borrowash Victoria.Craig Westcarr scored five in Hucknall's 10-2 win over Borrowash Victoria.
Craig Westcarr scored five in Hucknall's 10-2 win over Borrowash Victoria.
Hucknall boss Andy Graves hailed sharpshooter Craig Westcarr after the striker scored five goals in Town’s 10-2 drubbing of Borrowash Victoria, writes Louis Wheeldon.

It was the first time Hucknall had scored ten goals in one game since defeating Shirebrook Town by the same scoreline in November 2019, and helped the team consolidate their position in the play-off spots.

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“Craig got five, but he could’ve had nine! So we were a bit disappointed about that,” he said.

“His work-rate improves every game. It’s a come down from where he has been playing but it doesn’t faze him, he works very hard for the team.”

Graves was also left pleased with his side’s ruthless streak after Town showed no let-up when the points were won.

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“We didn’t start particularly well. I know with the pitch we had to get used to the passing, but we were under hitting them.

“Before they scored, I counted 11 misplaced passes, which wasn’t good enough, and then the 12th one caught us out.

“After that we started playing like we can do, we started to pass the ball around and improved and the goals came. And fair play to them because they didn’t stop, they carried on trying to make it difficult for us.

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“We did say at half-time, ‘let’s be ruthless’. At Holwell we were in a very good position and took our foot off the gas. We said today, come the end of the season, goals will be needed, so let’s be ruthless and I think we were.”

The Yellows came into the game against the league’s bottom side off the back of a three-game winning streak and unbeaten in their last five overall. There was just one change from the side that beat Gedling Miners Welfare 3-1 in midweek, as Aaron Short returned to the starting XI in place of Cayne Maxwell.

It was not a simple start for Hucknall, however, as a misplaced pass allowed Borrowash’s Nathan Bennett to race through and beat Jake Pearson one-on-one just six minutes in.

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The Town keeper went down injured as the goal was scored, getting his leg caught in the muddy playing surface, and unfortunately had to be helped off the pitch.

Louis Kinnerley came on to replace him, donning his goalie gloves for the second time in five days following his stint in net against Gedling last time out.

Hucknall drew themselves level with 20 minutes gone, when a fantastic ball over the top of the visitors’ defence was steered home by Westcarr.

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Just two minutes later, Aaron Lamb won his side a penalty after being brought down inside the Borrowash area by Luke Whiting, with Westcarr stepping up to stroke home his second goal of the game, and 25th of the season.

Another three minutes was all it took for Lamb to turn from creator to finisher, as he latched onto a clipped ball over the top from Westcarr to smash home at the near post.

David Leak was next to get in on the act, meeting Joe Ashurst’s whipped corner delivery with a bullet header which left Tom Smith helpless in the visitors’ net.

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Westcarr managed to secure the match ball with four minutes left in the half, as another corner from Ashurst was headed goalwards, only for the striker to smash home from close range.

The second half gave no reprieve for Borrowash, as Westcarr soon added a fourth for himself and a sixth for Hucknall, rifling home clinically from 12 yards as the visitors started to collapse.

Substitute Grant Ryan entered the fray on the hour mark and got straight in on the action by smashing home from inside the box just three minutes after coming on for Matt Brian.

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The striker could have had a second a moment later, as he raced through on goal to meet another fantastic Westcarr ball, but dragged his shot just wide.

It was not to matter, however, as Westcarr arrowed home an effort from barely inside the box just one minute later to add an eighth.

Substitute Cayne Maxwell, who had replaced Lamb just a few minutes before Ryan’s introduction, was not to go without leaving his mark, as he smashed home a five-minute brace with ten minutes remaining to take Town onto double digits.

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There was still time for an impressive consolation from the visitors, who despite the heavy scoreline never stopped pushing, to their credit. They won the ball back in their own half and passed their way up the pitch, before slotting past Kinnerley from inside the box.

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