Scarborough Athletic's flying start earns 2-1 home midweek victory against impressive visitors Buxton
A hugely impressive Tuesday night performance saw Boro pick up a fourth successive win, 2-1 at home to a very good Buxton side, with all three goals coming in a sensational opening seven minutes.
Showing two changes from the 2-0 win against Southport three days earlier, Lewis Maloney and Harry Green replacing Dom Tear and Rio Allan in the starting line-up, Boro charged forward from the off, and were ahead after just 48 seconds, when a defensive clearance fell to Luca Colville, who smashed his left-foot shot into the top left corner.
The cheers had hardly died down before Boro added another goal from their next attack. An Alex Brown throw-in was touched on by Will Thornton towards Jake Hull, who drilled his shot in off the base of the right-hand post.
Buxton fought back immediately, as Oliver Greaves raced down the right and squared to Luke Brennan, who slotted in at the back post.
Kieran Weledji screwed a shot wide for Boro, and Ste Walker was tackled by Will Trueman as he jinked into the area, then keeper Ryan Whitley did well to deflect a Tai Sodje header onto the crossbar, a Luke Hall cross was headed over by Sammy Robinson and Brennan burst into the box but was tackled by Weledji as Buxton looked to get level.
The skilful and pacy visitors dominated possession for much of the second half, but Boro defended magnificently, with Whitley, Thornton and Hull dominant in the air, and Weledji, Brown, Maloney, Green, Wiles and Alex Purver all winning some terrific tackles.
A low cross from Sodje was fired over by Luke Hall, a Connor Kirby strike was blocked by Brown, who also slid in to halt a mazy dribble from Max Bardell, then Bardell fired into the arms of Whitley, but for all their possession, Buxton didn’t really test Whitley again.
Ex-Boro full-back Kieran Burton blocked a Walker shot, and in the latter stages it was Boro was created the better chances.
Purver and Colville combined to send Green into the area, but he was closed down by two defenders, a couple of inviting left wing crosses from Brown were gathered by Buxton keeper Paul Cooper, Dom Tear glanced a header wide, Brown had a shot blocked by Bardell, a Weledji header was deflected wide by Robinson, and Colville fed Allan, who fired inches wide.
It was a high quality game, played at a fast pace, with lots of neat passing moves, as Boro’s solid defence, led by skipper Thornton comfortably saw out the last few minutes to put Boro second in National League North.
BORO - Whitley, Weledji, Brown, Hull, Thornton(c), Purver, Green, Maloney (Tear 61), Walker (Allan 73), Wiles, Colville, unused subs - Romero, Duckworth, Gibson-Booth, Bennett.
BUXTON - Cooper, Trueman, Burton, Kirby(c), Stephenson, Greaves (Tomlinson 66), Bardell, Hall (Coleman 66), Sodje (McLean 67), Robinson, Brennan, unused subs - Melville, Balfe.
REFEREE - Mark Bell.
BORO GOALS - Luca Colville 1, Jake Hull 3; BUXTON GOAL - Luke Brennan 7.
GOAL ATTEMPTS - BORO 9 (2 on target) BUXTON 8 (3 on target).
CORNERS - BORO 8 BUXTON 3.
OFFSIDES - BORO 1 BUXTON 0.
YELLOW CARDS - Kieran Weledji, Lewis Maloney, Alex Purver (Boro), Tai Sodje, Luke Hall (Buxton).
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Will Thornton.
ATTENDANCE - 765.