FC Clacton 0 Ely City 2

ROBINS’ boss Alan Alsop believes his side have become a nightmare for opposition teams this season, as a 2-0 win at FC Clacton stretched their unbeaten run to 15 games.

City have been in imperious form this season and moved up to third in the Ridgeons Premier League thanks to goals from Nick Impey and, remarkably, goalkeeper Lee Pacey.

“We must be a nightmare for teams to play against because our work rate is unbelievable,” said boss Alsop.

“We may not be as technically gifted as some sides but our team spirit is second to none and we don’t stop working, we make life very difficult for teams.”

Though the home side enjoyed the better of the play in the opening 10 minutes, it was Ely who had the first shot in anger as Austen Diaper fired in a shot at Joe Playle from the edge of the area.

The home side almost took the lead two minutes later as Karl Andrade seized on a loose ball in the Ely area to fire goalwards, only for his effort to clip the bar and land on the roof of the net.

After the break, and with the wind now at their backs, Ely quickly took control of the game and the opening goal soon followed.

A free-kick awarded midway in Ely’s half was taken by keeper Pacey who fired the ball long and high into the Clacton box. The home side made the mistake of allowing the ball to bounce and it sailed into the top corner, with the keeper powerless to act.

Nick Impey again used the wind to Ely’s advantage to double the scoring as his inswinging corner curled high into the net amid a gaggle of defenders on the line.

With a two-goal cushion in place, the Robins played out the remainder of the game in relative comfort as neither side proved able to fashion any real chance of note.

“The first half was 50-50,” said boss Alsop. “We didn’t really trouble their keeper too much but, in the second half, we had the wind with us and we dominated.

“To be third at this stage of the season bearing in mind the budget we have to work with is unbelievable, but why not, we’ve worked hard and the league is there for the winning.”