Hambledon returned to form in style on Saturday after inflicting a crushing defeat on bottom side Shalford. A powerful header from Alex Mussell settled any early nerves before a cultured finish by Ollie Jones sucked the life from a spirited early showing by the away side. The Dons ran riot in the second half with Darren Martin and Max Dodson helping themselves to a brace apiece, and Lewis Gunner capped a perfect afternoon with an emphatic finish on his return from injury.

The win comes as welcome relief and puts the Dons back on track for a second place finish after two successive home blanks had dented their title charge. For Shalford, it is the second straight thrashing they have received in as many weeks. This would come as great disappointment to their enigmatic manager - the league’s bottom side had been on something of a miniature revival, losing only once in their last three games before heavy defeats to Hindhead and now Hambledon.

The Dons could have been forgiven for approaching the game rather tentatively after disappointing results in their last two outings at home. However, their previous competitive fixture at Badger Park ended in a 6-2 rout of AFC Hampton and they continued that form into this game. Alex Mussell switched formations to a 4-4-2 in order to take advantage of a rickety Shalford defence, moving Max Dodson up top to partner Darren Martin in attack. And the bold move paid immediate dividends. Both strikers as well as Thomas Whiteford all had speculative shots well saved before the deadlock was broken. After a collision between Darren Martin and the Shalford goalkeeper, the ball squirmed over the dead ball line; the (Shalford) linesman overruling the referee to give the Dons their first corner of the game. An incredulous Shalford bench became apoplectic after the resulting out swinger by Ollie Jones was nodded into the bottom corner by Alex Mussell.

The away side did respond well to the early setback. Their gangly winger got into some decent positions but never quite managed to sort his feet out to properly trouble Matt Mullins in the Hambledon goal. Unable to take their chances, Shalford soon found themselves 2-0 down. After a Dons attack from the left wing, the ball broke to Ollie Jones on the edge of the box who curled his shot into the bottom corner past the unsighted keeper. Despite only having two in midfield the industry and tenacity of Andy Parkin and Ollie Jones proved more than a match for their opponents and the Dons seized control of the game. With little in the way of attacking threat from a dispirited Shalford, both Jono Hill and Sam Coombe started to enjoy joining in with the Dons attacks, especially on the wings in supporting Thomas Whiteford and the versatile Paul Cook. Matt Mullins for the vast majority of the game was merely a spectator. However, he was called into action in spectacular fashion on the stroke of half-time. A curling effort from the edge of the box was superbly tipped onto the bar and with that came Shalford’s last chance to get back into the game.

Ben Taggart, Elijah Taylor and Lawrence Bourke were introduced after the break as the Dons attacked downhill. With Shalford now facing an uphill task, both in terms of the gradient of the pitch and score-line; the away side capitulated. Max Dodson got his first goal for the A’s this season, bundling home another Ollie Jones corner at the near post. And soon after, capped a fantastic performance with a second. Good closing down by Lawrence Bourke on the edge of the Shalford box turned over possession and a smart finish from Max made it 4-0.

It was then his turn to assist his strike partner. An excellent through ball sent Darren Martin in on goal to calmly finish under the keeper. Unfortunately, Max Dodson didn’t stay on long enough to complete his hat-trick. Adam Cook and Dean Knight were introduced for some much needed game time. Shalford also made a couple of substitutions in an attempt to stem the tide. However, despite the changes, the Dons continued to slice through their hapless opponents. Ollie Jones completed a hat-trick of corner assists, this time picking out the late run of Lewis Gunner at the back post to blast into the roof of the net. Even after Darren Martin coolly added a seventh, there was still time for Dean Knight to strike a fierce shot straight at the keeper from a tight angle. There was a late scare when Alex Mussell suffered a head collision, but fortunately appeared relatively unscathed apart from a large bump and bruise. Paul Cook slotted seamlessly into the back line for the remainder of the game to see out a comfortable Dons victory.

COYDs!