I was up in the Cotswolds visiting family, so decided to come to see a Midland Hellenic League Division 1 fixture, at Five Acres.

Five acres is a ground set in open countryside and boasts two small covered seated stands alongside the pitch and one behind the goal. It also boasts a clubhouse, with bar and refreshment provisions and a grass pitch with floodlighting.

Admission to the ground cost £5 and the Matchday programme was electronic. As with most small clubs the welcome was warm and people were keen to talk. The average gate, this season, at Littleton FC is one of the lowest in the league at 36.

Littleton have had a good start to the season and sit just one place below the play offs in sixth. Regular readers will remember I went to watch FC Stratford play Newent FC in the same league, earlier in the season and they have gone from strength to strength sitting second just on goal difference from Clanfield 85, the current leaders.

Littleton’s team showed that joint top scorer (5 goals) Ricardo Richards, was in the side although injury had robbed them of their other two top scorers so far this season.

Bourton Rovers have had a poor start to the campaign and sat at kick off, in the relegation places in 15th position.

Within three minutes of kick off, Littleton took the lead, with top scorer Ricardo Richards sweeping in to score after some fine build up play.

Bourton Rovers fought back, through some tough tackling and short, neat passing and created chances of their own. Littleton continued to look dangerous going forward, but were unable to extend their lead for much of the half.

After 39 minutes the temporary deadlock was broken, when Bourton Rovers’ keeper was caught off his line and lobbed perfectly by full back, Haden Smith, who made it 2-0.

Within four minutes of the restart, Littleton made it 3-0, through captain, Ricardo Richards, with a powerful headed effort for his second goal of the game.

After a period of intense pressure, on 56 minutes Brogan Halpin made it 4-0 to Littleton FC, with a close range finish.

In the 82nd minute Peter Taylor scored Littleton’s fifth, to make it 5-0 as the Bourton Rovers’ heads began to fall.

The game wasn’t over yet for Littleton. They scored their 6th in the 89th minute with a headed goal for substitute, Lucas Edmonds.

Then in the 90th minute Ricardo Richards scored his well deserved hat trick goal to make it 7-0.

This was a really clinical performance by Littleton FC. Bourton Rovers were by no means outclassed on the pitch but their inability to score today and the weaknesses in defending ensured there was a gulf between the sides in terms of result, as the 7-0 score-line suggested.