UNDERWOOD SC piled on the pressure at the top of Division 1 of the East Gwent Senior League with a 16-2 thrashing of understrength Blackwood Rovers on Saturday.

Rovers’ manager Leigh Taylor said he had struggled to field a team of 11 players to face the former Gwent County League side.

“Unfortunately we only had nine players includingmyself,” he said.

“We managed to get a couple more players to get 11 men but it wasn’t enough and Underwood ran riot.

“It’s a shame! I haven’t had my first-choice team for about six weeks because a lot of them are needed by the County League side who are on a good run of form.”

Lewis Jones and Craig Johnston scored for Rovers while the league’s leading scorer Josh Downing grabbed five for Underwood with the others being scored by Tom Turner (3), Craig Owen (2), Ryan Green (2), Elliot Campfield, James May, Kyle Brown and Sean Johnson.

Underwood’s manager Danny Williams was happy his side are scoring freely.

“It was a one-sided match right from the off and everyone wanted to score and probably could have.”

Third-placed Undy enjoyed a 4-1 victory at Caldicot Town thanks to a Simon Owen hat-trick and a single strike by James Korzeniowski.

“We kept the ball well for most of the match,” said Undy manager Ben Garner.

“Town worked hard but we kept our composure and deserved the victory in the end and Simon Owen’s second goal was just like Heaven!”

With leaders Mathern Wanderers winning 9-0 at home to Severn Tunnel A it is virtually unchanged in Division 1 but Tintern Abbey’s 12-1 home win over Portskewett & Sudbrook means they are just one point behind Division 2 leaders CastleA whose home match against Mathern Wanderers B was one of two postponements.

The only other match to survive was Sudbrook CC’s 10-2 defeat of Castle C.