Beeston bounced back from last week’s disappointing defeat in emphatic fashion, smashing eight goals past Stapleford Town Reserves in a decisive victory that moves them up to second in the Nottinghamshire Senior League Division One.

Despite the ease with which Beeston secured their fifth victory of the season, the early stages of the game were an even affair, with Stapleford creating the first opportunity of the match twelve minutes in. A long throw was hurled into Beeston’s penalty area leading to a scramble in the box, with the ball flashing past keeper Davey Gallagher’s right post.

After a tight opening twenty minutes it was Ben Knight who broke the deadlock, driving inside from the right and smashing home from outside the penalty box to set Beeston on their way and ease any lingering nerves after last week’s defeat to Radford Reserves.

Knight’s opener proved to be the catalyst for what was to come as Beeston immediately took control of proceedings. Tom Coupe saw his effort from the edge of the box saved well by the Stapleford keeper just moments after Knight’s opener, before his second effort in four minutes brushed past the far post having been released down the left by the lively Kiefer Cooke.

Coupe eventually got his goal on the half hour mark to double Beeston’s lead. Cooke once again won back possession in the centre of pitch, feeding Lee Fowler who beat the full-back and found the onrushing Coupe who beat the keeper with a first-time effort.

Beeston were cruising but goalkeeper Gallagher was called into action before half-time, saving well low to his left to ensure Beeston’s two goal lead remained intact.

That save would prove crucial as moments later Fowler turned home to send Beeston into the half-time break with a three-goal lead, claiming the finest of touches from Ben Knight’s goal bound in swinging free-kick.

Josh Streeter’s side continued their dominance into the second half, with Knight claiming his second of the game fifteen minutes in, smashing home at the back post after great work from Tom Coupe.

Ten minutes later and Coupe sealed his own brace after showing quick feet to wrong foot the defender and fire home from close range.

Kieran Whalin and Nathan Hodges were introduced with twenty minutes remaining, with both making an immediate impact.

First Whalin tapped home at the back post after a Beeston counter attack led by the ever impressive Coupe, before Hodges lofted over the keeper from twenty-five yards and headed home from inside the six yard box from a Knight corner to seal Beeston’s eighth.

After last week’s 8-2 defeat to Radford Reserves, Beeston showed the bouncebackability required from a team with title aspirations, scoring a magnificent eight of their own to well and truly bury the demons of the previous game

Here’s what manager Josh Streeter had to say post-match:

“The lads have shown great character, the result last week was devastating but we’ve bounced back and scored eight goals today and to be honest, yeah we looked really good.”

“They all believe in their ability, and we know at the start of every game you’re matching up against who you’re playing against with your individual battles, but as the game went on as you saw we grew into it, we found out footing and then took it from there.”

“I just told them to forget about it [last week’s defeat], you know these things happen in football, we were all disappointed and I’m sure it ruined a lot of people’s weekends, weeks, but look I just said get rid of that, go out today and put it all right.”

“[Today] gives us massive confidence, but listen you’ve seen what happened last week, we’ve got to be careful, we can’t go into every game thinking that we’re just going to win by four or five goals, we’ve got to work hard and there’s a lot of tough games ahead.”