HALF AND HALF - BRICKIES COME GOOD AFTER LACKLUSTRE START

THE big hope going into Saturday's match against Ash United was that the Brickies would maintain their brilliant start to the season by adding a fourth straight win from the first four matches. They achieved it in the end, but only after a second half recovery from a scruffy first 45. Ash had not won, or even scored in the League this season, but they had the better of the first half and with sharper finishing could easily have been two goals clear. The tide turned just before the break, New Milton conjuring a goal out of nothing - Callum Clarke found himself in the right place at the right moment for a very neat flick over the advancing goalkeeper. Injury prevented him coming out for the second half, but the man who took over, Niall Dixon was key to the recovery. With Cam Smith's Man of the Match performance steadying things at the back, the Brickies went forward with more purpose and soon had another goal, Joe Roberts collecting the rebound of Darren Husher's shot and firing it home. Before Ash could catch their breath it was 3-0, Elliott Pearce-Eavis raiding down the right and crossing for Dixon to convert. It was one-way traffic and a fourth looked inevitable - still 23 minutes to go when Dixon rounded off a run through the middle with a slot past the advancing keeper. More chances came and went but even when Ash got reduced to ten men after a red card for back-chatting, it was the visitors who had the final say. Milton keeper Lloyd Thomas was not best pleased to lose his clean sheet - but the four-out-of-four was the important thing and that was achieved.