The Youth Team put thirteen past their opponents on a bitterly cold Tuesday night in the Northants FA Boys Under 18 Cup.
A young side involving lots of players brought up from the under 16s started off dangerously, going 1-0 up in the second minute thanks to a Daniel Easlea finish, latching onto a clever ball across the box from Sharpe down the right.
Phillips is about to be tripped for the penalty
Alex Phillips made it 2-0 in the 7th minute with a penalty, surging into the box only to be tripped, and consequently coolly converting the penalty. Adam Sharpe got his first of the night on fifteen minutes, to make it 3-0.
Parklands then had their best spell of the game, hitting the post in a period of amber and black pressure to see the first half out at 3-0.
Half Time: R&DFC Youth 3 - 0 Northampton Parkland Tigers
The youth teams fitness and play told in the second half, and to be honest the goals were going in so fast that I largely lost track of who scored them, particularly as a number of younger, less familiar players came on!
The fourth went in on around the 50th minute, a cross converted, with it then being made 5-0 shortly after with Alex Phillips bursting from midfield to poke the ball straight past the keeper.
Adam Sharpe got the sixth - smashing in a loose ball after a corner led to a bustle in the box. Morgan Phillips grabbed the seventh in the 72nd minute, volleying in a loose ball, with Morgan Phillips grabbing the eighth two minutes later bundling in yet another loose ball from the Parklands defence.
A one on one with the keeper as he rushed out to close the angle made it 9-0, with Sam Heavey getting the tenth running through from midfield.
Sharpe bagged his hat trick with the eleventh, and it was 12-0 shortly after.
Easlea rounded off the match with the thirteenth, banging the ball into the top corner.
Full Time: R&DFC Youth 13 - 0 Northampton Parkland Tigers
The goalscorers were:
Adam Sharpe x 3
Alex Phillips x 2
Morgan Phillips x 2
Dan Easlea x 2
Aaron King x 1
Sam Heavey x 1
Josh Fagan x 1
Connor Hayes x 1
R&DFC Team: 1 James Broadbent, 2 Morgan Phillips, 3 Chris Kirby, 4 Matthew Evans, 5 Jack Hartley, 6 Connor Hayes, 7 Sam Heavey, 8 Alex Phillips (Captain), 9 Adam Sharpe, 10 Aaron King, 11 Daniel Easlea.
Substitutes: 12 Josh Fagan, 14 James Freshwater, 15 George Cox, 16 John Wigglesworth, 17 Lewis Hilliard
Manager Paul Driver said "I'm very pleased with the good attitude the boys displayed today; it was a mixture of mainly the younger players, with a lot of under 16s involved. They kept the ball well and moved both the ball and themselves around the pitch nicely. Well done especially to the younger lads, who got a few goals, we expected the youth team regulars of the likes of Adam Sharpe and Dan Easlea to score, but for younger players like Morgan Phillips, Aaron King and Josh Fagan to get goals was very encouraging.
Well done to Northampton Parkland Tigers too - who came into the game with a good attitude, and worked their backsides off throughout the match."
The Diamonds Youth Team are next in action on Saturday 1st November away from home at Brentford in the Puma Youth Alliance. They then face Northampton Town in the first round proper of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday 5th November.
