Struggling Louth Town pull off dream victory in 'must-win' relegation clash with Appleby Frodingham
Louth Town manager Carl Martin was delighted and relieved to see his struggling side triumph in style with a landmark 6-0 victory in their 'must-win' clash with relegation rivals Appleby Frodingham on Saturday.
The White Wolves had not won for 12 games and were at home to one of only two sides below them in the drop zone.
But Louth stepped up to their task superbly, Kieran Perry starting the rout after just two minutes, and Martin said: “I was absolutely delighted with the performance first and foremost.
“From one to 16, including the subs, I thought we were magnificent.
“We went to watch Appleby on Tuesday night and decided to change our shape for Saturday – and it worked like a dream. We were ruthless in both boxes.
“It was a must-win game on our part to keep in touch with the teams above us. So, to a man, I was really pleased with the players.
“The lads were a bit nervous as they knew the magnitude of the game, so the early goal took a bit of the pressure off.
“After that we were relentless and our football was a joy to watch at times.
“The clean sheet made it a perfect day as we haven't had many of those this season.”
Harry Jacklin made it 2-0 on 35 minutes before Adam Millson added the third on 35 minutes for a 3-0 interval lead.
Alfie Usher netted on 50 minutes and two minutes later Appleby's afternoon got worse as Samuel east was red-carded for his last man foul on Brody Robertson.
Louth then rubbed it in with Robertson (70) and Harris Dunn (85) completing the scoring.
They remain in the relegation zone, but only by two goals on goal difference to Dronfield Town
On Saturday Louth head to Armthorpe Welfare, who won 3-1 at play-off chasing Ilkley Town on Saturday.
“We will go to Armthorpe full of confidence. But it is a fine line between confidence and complacency. So we will keep the lads grounded,” said Martin.
“We need to go there on Saturday and back up the Appleby win with a positive result and a positive performance.
“We are quietly confident in our camp that we can go there and get the three points.
“We were missing a couple of players last weekend with niggles who we hope will be available and our squad is looking really healthy.
“Our new signings will really help our battle against relegation. At the minute we are looking in a really good place.”