It was raining goals at Malvern Town on Saturday as the home side ran out 7-3 winners against Brixham AFC in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South.
The home side raced into a five-goal half-time lead with Piers Walton helping himself to a first half hat-trick, his first treble since 2023.
“As a striker, it’s a great feeling to hit a hat-trick,” Walton told us. “I take great pride from it and Saturday was my first one for three years, back in my Kidlington days.
“The main thing was to get the win, though, and whilst it wasn’t our best performance, it was important to get those three points in the bag and score a few goals in the process.
“It sets us up nicely now for two games on the road, which will present challenges for different reasons.”
On Wednesday, Malvern head down to Willand Rovers, who are battling for the points to escape the clutches of the relegation places, before heading to Winchester City on Saturday to face opponents who also sit in amongst the leading pack.
“There are a lot of strong teams battling it out this season,” Walton added. “We’re right in amongst it and playing some good football.
“We’ve been on a great run and hopefully we can keep building momentum and moving in the right direction.
“It’s a very competitive division this season with a lot of different styles, but plenty of quality.
“Our aim is to keep doing the right things and focussing on ourselves. We want to give our fantastic supporters something to cheer about. They have backed us so well, home and away, this season and they deserve success.
“Personally I want to help push us even further with consistent performances and adding to my goal tally.
“There’s a lot to look forward to and like the rest of the team, I’ll be giving everything I’ve got.”
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Reece King is enjoying being back at his hometown club having returned from Bromsgrove Sporting at the end of November.
“I’m absolutely loving being back here at Malvern,” the defender said without hesitation. “It’s where it all started for me, so coming back here feels special in so many ways.
“From the set-up to the lads in the dressing room, the staff behind-the-scenes, and the fans who back us every single week – it’s a proper football club with a real togetherness about it.
“We’ve got a great group in there, hungry to improve and ready to push on. There’s a real belief around the place that we can do good things this season, and I’m buzzing to be part of it again.
“It’s very tight at the top and it seems that anyone can take points off each other.
“I think the decision on who makes play-offs will be taken right up until the final games of the season and hopefully we find ourselves in there.”
IMAGE: Nigel Crisp
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