Tadley Calleva 6 Alresford Town 2: TADLEY Calleva scored six times to dump Alresford out of the North Hants Senior Cup at Barlows Park on a mild Tuesday evening at Barlows Park.

The Magpies made the ideal start, but couldn’t capitalise on it. With just one-and-a-half minutes on the clock Bill Puckett picked up possession in the inside-left position and advanced to fire a perfect shot into the top right corner.

Tadley settled down, and a good contest developed on a bumpy pitch with chances at both ends. Puckett bundled the ball into the home net again on 25 minutes from a free kick, but the linesman had flagged for offside. Ben Dexter then headed wide from a Sam Carter free kick.

Calleva drew level on 34 minutes with an excellent goal of their own. James Tennant found the back of the net from distance with a shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Shortly afterwards John Howard in the Alresford goal made an impressive save to keep out Scott Kinge. But a minute before the break Kinge met a low free kick at the near post with a good finish, and Tadley had a lead they were never to lose.

At half time Alresford centre-back Jamie Bentley limped off with a calf injury, to be replaced by Rian Jiima-Otero. The next goal was going to be crucial, and on 53 minutes it was Tadley who got it. The Magpies failed to clear a left-wing corner, and centre-back Andrew Charsley drilled the ball home from the edge of the box.

On 65 minutes Tadley added a fourth goal thanks to James Milford’s assured finish at the far post.

Jima-Otero gave the visitors a brief glimmer of hope on 75 minutes when he headed in Sam Carter’s right-wing cross. But Calleva kept up the pressure until the end, and were rewarded when the Alresford defence parted twice more.

The fifth goal came on 86 minutes when substitute Toluwanimi Sotonye showed impressive skill on the edge of the box to work himself a little space, and capped that with the perfect finish.

And Tennant, outstanding throughout, bagged his side’s sixth a minute from time when he nipped through, latched onto a neat pass and clipped the ball past the diving Howard.

Tadley, unbeaten since mid-September, were good value for their win but Alresford will need to work on their defending if they are to start putting some better results together.