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After bouncing back from a 2-3 Southern League Midland Division defeat at Bromsgrove Rovers ten days earlier with a 2-0 Bill Dellow Cup 1st Round group stage win away to Milton Keynes City and a 1-1 home league draw with Wellingborough Town in their next two games, Trevor Gould?s side took their unbeaten run to three games with a fairly comfortable County Cup 1st Round win over Hellenic League Premier Division mid table side Didcot Town at Turnfurlong Lane.

The hosts opened their account in the 9th minute when, from Peter Mead?s right wing corner, Didcot keeper Alan Hyatt and his defence were unsettled by the physical presence of Cliff Campbell and Paul Saunders bundled the ball home at the far post.

It was 2-0 in the 15th minute when Campbell laid a simple ball to skipper Peter Mead on the right who sent over a superb cross for Cliff Hercules to head his third senior goal for the club high into the net for a picture goal.

It was 3-0 in the 26th minute when United won an indirect free kick for obstruction and, with Town?s marking having gone to pot by now, the short ball enabled Gary Tippins to fire home his first senior goal for the club although the shot (of no great power) virtually went straight through poor Hyatt.

The visitors (to their credit) started the second half with some of their best football of the evening and might have pulled one back when sub Kenny Lewis burst between United?s centre half pairing of Tippins and Andy Dockery but keeper Keith Baker did well to spread himself and save with his legs.

He wasn?t troubled again and it was 4-0 in the 66th minute when Mead?s corner from the right again worried Hyatt, whose attempted punch clear came off Town centre half Bob Humphrey?s head and into the net for an unfortunate own goal.

United went close to adding to their tally with Hyatt making some good saves (one stop from a venomous Campbell volley particularly memorable) but in all honesty they could and should have had many more.

David Figg