Amber Hearn's hopes of marking her 100th appearance for Lynn-Avon United with victory and a two-goal haul to notch 100 goals for the club were well and truly dashed at Ken Maunder Park on May 1 by a Claudelands Rovers side which was hell-bent on getting back to winning ways in a big way. They certainly did, as the emphatic 7-1 scoreline suggests. Indeed, but for a string of top saves by Ashleigh Cox, United could well have been on the wrong end of a record defeat, even though the seven goals against matches the most they have ever conceded in a single game over the course of their illustrious history. Rovers were first to chance their arm, in the fifth minute. Sarah McLaughlin won the ball off Ria Percival in midfield and released Holly Patterson down the right with a precise first-time pass. The fleet-footed flank player bore down on goal, only to see Cox's outstretched leg divert her shot for a corner. Olivia Chance took it, playing a short set-piece with Patterson before whipping in an inviting cross to the far post. Helen Collins was the beneficiary of a quality delivery, but headed wide. The resulting goal-kick saw Alex Shadbolt play the ball back at pace to goalkeeper Naomi Carter, whose control understandably failed her - it was a hard-hit ball by the defender, who put her team-mate in quite a spot of bother. Because Percival was anticipating the loss of control by Carter, and swooped on the sphere in an instant, rounding the recovering 'keeper before attempting to turn the ball home on two separate occasions. Each time, however, Percival found Kate Carlton putting her body on the line for the cause - the pint-sized central defender blessed with Jamie Carragher-like tenacity had a whale of a game, and besides saving the day on this occasion, did a terrific job containing the goal-hungry Hearn throughout proceedings. Rovers' response to this raid was one of their own. Patterson and Chance briefly switched flanks, with the former threading a ball through from the left flank for the latter to latch onto as she scythed in off the right. Cox raced out to save at the feet of Chance, but had no answer to the young Football Fern in the fourteenth minute. Shadbolt clipped a delightful free-kick into the danger zone which found Collins stealing in behind the defence, and an unselfish pass set up Chance, who swept home from six yards past the defenceless figure of Cox. The 'keeper dashed out to save with her legs again seconds later, as a one-two between Patterson and McLaughlin sent the pony-tailed flank player through once more. United cleared this threat, but found themselves 2-0 down in the sixteenth minute. Kylie Jens was her usual highly consistent self throughout proceedings, and on this occasion teamed up with Chance to cause mayhem down Rovers' left flank. A simply gorgeous cross from the fullback was too good for United's defence to deal with, allowing Collins the opportunity to hook home into the far corner of the net in fine style. Stunned by this double blow, Lynn-Avon swiftly sought a way back into the contest. Megan Lee picked out Hearn with a pass which the striker turned into the stride of Tayla O'Brien. The will-o'-the-wisp winger jinked inside before letting fly with a rising drive which crashed off the underside of the crossbar to safety. Rovers responded in kind to that nineteenth minute threat two minutes later. McLaughlin sent Patterson careering through in pursuit of her weighted ball over the defence, and the speedster sent the ball crashing against the crossbar. Lynn-Avon failed to heed the warning, and paid the price in the 23rd minute. Collins' defence-splitting pass found Patterson powering in off the right flank once more, and this time she found the far corner of the net with a vicious low drive which flew past the luckless Cox. 3-0 to Rovers, a score which didn't please United's centurion, to put it mildly. Hearn duly set about attempting to mount a response, twice forcing saves from Carter before the half-hour mark following Percival-inspired moves. Worse was to come for Lynn-Avon, however - a fourth goal, no less, in the 31st minute. McLaughlin caught Hannah Carlsen in possession near half-way and promptly opened up United's defence with a quite sublime curling pass which was weighted perfectly to arrive in Collins' stride as she raced through the inside left channel. The striker took the ball on before thundering a shot beyond the flying figure of Cox into the top far corner - a quite superb goal, both in its conception and execution. Heads understandably dropped among Lynn-Avon's ranks, which were already bereft of the passion and winning mentality which their irrepressible but injured captain, Melissa Ray, boasts in abundance. She was sorely missed, as was fellow injury victim Briony Fisher. Rovers looked to take full advantage and pile on the

agony for United. Chance and Collins worked a one-two down the left seven minutes before half-time which resulted in Cox parrying from Chance at close quarters. The talented winger latched onto the rebound and held the ball up until McLaughlin arrived on the scene, at which point the mercurial playmaker let fly. Cox grabbed this shot, and looked on with relief as Kate Loye headed narrowly over the bar soon after, Collins and Patterson combining to exploit the opportunity created by Sivitha Boyce's stray pass to the former. On the stroke of half-time, Lynn-Avon pulled a goal back courtesy the only player in their squad to have found the net so far this season. Cox's clearance was headed on by Hearn to Lee, who returned the ball to the centurion in space. An unerring twenty yard drive arrowed into the far corner of the net - Hearn's 99th goal for the club. Casey Ridsdale warmed Carter's gloves with a twenty-five yarder before the interval, after which Lynn-Avon were unquestionably the better team for a good twenty minutes. Rovers went to sleep during this time, particularly in central midfield, and United didn't need a second invitation. Four minutes into the second spell, Percival picked out Dana Humby with a free-kick which the defender directed back for Hearn. Her header was goal-bound until Jens popped up to head off the line. Four minutes later, Boyce stopped Collins in her tracks and sparked a counter-attack which saw O'Brien feeding Hearn through the inside right channel. Carter smothered the striker's shot on the run low to her right. After McLaughlin had blazed a shot wide of the mark - Jens, Loye and Holly Nixon combined to play her in behind the defence - Carter dealt well with efforts from Hearn and O'Brien before, in the 62nd minute, Shadbolt and Jens got in a right mix-up … not the smartest thing to do when Hearn is lurking with intent three yards away! Carlton was across to force the striker away from goal in an instant, but could not prevent Hearn from driving in a cross to the near post which cannoned off the fast-arriving figure of Lee and careered over the crossbar. Hearn's shriek of frustration summed the situation up perfectly from a Lynn-Avon perspective. It was pretty much their last chance, too, for the tide began to turn Rovers way soon after. Percival gave her all for the cause as usual, but like her fellow Football Fern was becoming frustrated with the overall situation - nothing she tried seemed to come off. A pass to Kate Seatter, in the 69th minute, summed up Percival's day, for the fullback mis-read it, and by the time she'd turned to retrieve the situation, Collins had swooped and was setting sail for goal. Only Humby's brave block prevented the striker from completing her hat-trick. Rovers weren't to be denied, however, and in the 72nd minute made it 5-1. Carter's clearance was headed on by Loye to McLaughlin, who sent Patterson spearing through the inside right channel. She dashed on before rounding Cox and rifling home from a tight angle. Five minutes later, the visitors scored their sixth goal. Again, Carter cleared, and again, Loye flicked the ball on. This time, Collins received her header, and duly steered the ball into the stride of Chance, whose cool finish under the body of the diving Cox meant three black-clad players had scored two goals in the match. The race was on to see who would get their hat-trick first. Chance played in Katherine Robinson on the left, but the substitute's sweetly struck left-foot drive was blocked by Humby. Two minutes later, Cox blocked a Loye effort at point-blank range after Chance and McLaughlin had prised open United's right flank. McLaughlin then played in Collins two minutes from time, but her first touch was akin to a pass back to Cox, one the goalkeeper gratefully gathered. It wasn't long before she was fishing the ball out of her net again, though, Loye slipping Chance through the middle in stoppage time for a hat-trick-scoring opportunity the deadly number thirteen didn't spurn - 7-1. There was still time for Hearn to realise the rarely achieved milestone of scoring her 100th goal for her club in her 100th game for Lynn-Avon, and in stoppage time, Percival picked out her team-mate with a neat pass, designed to give her one last chance to do so. But before Hearn could capitalise, Carlton, as she had done so often throughout the game, stepped in to deny her opponent at the death, ensuring it would be Claudelands who would be entering the record books on May Day - this is their biggest ever win over Lynn-Avon, and only the second time the beaten club have conceded seven goals in a game. Lynn-Avon:     Cox; Seatter (Wimbrow, 77), Humby, Boyce, Head; O'Brien (Hoeksema, 68), Ridsdale (Phipps, 77), Carlsen, Percival, Lee; Hearn Claudelands:     Carter; Williams (Bennett, 82), Shadbolt, Carlton, Jens; Patterson, Nixon (Robinson, 75), Loye, Chance; Collins, McLaughlin Referee:     Hossam Khaled