Alresford Town 5 Ash United 0: TWO GOALS from debutant Bill Puckett set Alresford on the way to a comfortable victory over Combined Counties Division 1 side Ash in the second round of the Aldershot Senior Cup – a trophy that the Magpies won two seasons ago.

The game got off to a brisk start on a still, damp evening that was perfect for passing football. The home side, struggling in the league, quickly showed their Step 5 pedigree and took the lead on nine minutes when John Mulhern’s free kick was nodded across the box by Ben Dexter. Puckett swooped to open his account with a neat header.

Ex-Alresford goalkeeper Danny Leeds, returning to Arlebury Park, could do nothing about that and he completed a disappointing evening a few minutes later when he limped off, to be replaced between the posts by Taylor Jackson.

But Jackson was soon picking the ball out of the net too. Puckett was again the scorer with a neat side-foot finish from Ben Unsworth’s pass.

Alresford were enjoying plenty of space all over the field, with Simon Everett catching the eye in midfield with his intelligent prompting and vision. But the third goal, on 33 minutes, was again down to the Unsworth-Puckett combination up front. This time Puckett sent Unsworth through, and the striker shrugged off his marker before slotting beneath the diving Jackson.

The Magpies were in complete control, and underlined their superiority with a fourth goal on 41 minutes. Ash failed to clear a corner, and Puckett’s low shot was parried by Jackson for Dexter to tap home from six yards. It was the centre-back’s first goal for the club.

With the result all but a foregone conclusion the second half was less of a spectacle. Alresford sent on another debutant, Rian Jima-Otero, in place of Unsworth. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet too, Jackson denying him with a superb fingertip save.

The only goal of the second half came a minute after the break when Jamie Bentley scored the Magpies’ fifth with a precise header from a free kick. At the other end, Mike Weatherall was rarely troubled despite the best efforts of giant Ash striker Taylor Mitchinson and nippy Croatian Sam Tarasenko.