For the second consecutive home fixture this was the only match in the division to have survived the winter weather when we welcomed St Francis Rangers Under 23s to the BodyMould Community Stadium on a cold, dark, wet December evening.

Heath started the game well with Harry Kent testing the St Francis goalkeeper with a snap shot from 18 yards that the keeper did well to save but the first goal soon followed on 17 minutes when Theo Imperiale intercepted a clearance in the right back position on the halfway line and immediately played it forward to Eugene Moteane who cut inside his marker and struck a left foot shot from distance that looped over the keeper into the net.

Heath continued to surge forward in search of goals and added a second 11 minutes later when Charlie Cranfield won the ball on the halfway line and played a diagonal pass from left to right allowing Moteane to once again run at the defence before cutting inside and hitting another left foot shot that flew off the wet surface under the keeper into the net.

The Bears made it 3-0 on 33 minutes when Lewis Croal, getting some much needed game time, was brought down in the penalty area and Ethan Cumming stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick to make it 3-0 at the break.

The second half continued in a similar fashion as the first with Heath adding a fourth on 60 minutes when Alfie Maguire played a low cross from the right into the feet of Kent marked closely at the near post but the striker played a superb pass inside to Jack Hayes who took a touch before hammering a right foot shot into the net for his fifth of the season.

Lewis Croal got on the score-sheet 5mins later when Saf Ahmed received the ball wide on the left before playing in Moteane on the overlap who sprinted away down the wing before playing the ball low across the goal to an unmarked Croal for a tap-in, 5-0 to the Bears.

The sixth and the pick of the bunch was scored by Alfie Maguire on 70 minutes when he received the ball in the centre of the park, with time and space he advanced a few steps before unleashing a powerful right foot shot from 30 yards that flew past the St Francis keeper into the roof of the net, a superb strike at any level of football.

Harry Kent made it 7-0 15 minutes from time when the visitor’s goalkeeper threw the ball out to his right fullback who attempted to play a diagonal pass inside but Kent had anticipated the pass and intercepted the ball before taking it around a defender and slotting home with his left foot, a well deserved goal for the Heath striker.

The Bears completed the scoring 10 minutes from time when Cumming’s played the ball forward to Moteane in the centre of the park who advanced a few paces before hitting another long range left foot shot that dipped over the keeper’s head into the goal to complete his hat-trick and complete a very good year for the Under 23s.

Team: Courtney, Imperiale, Mark, Cranfield, Duneclift, Cumming, Moteane, Maguire, Croal, Kent Louw. Subs: Bridgeman, Martinez, Hayes, Ahmed.