AMESBURY Town surged to the top of Wessex Division One on the opening day of the campaign after demolishing Team Solent 8-2 to claim their biggest ever away win.

Danny Finnigan and Ed Perrett had to share the match ball as they both grabbed hat-tricks during the emphatic victory, helping Town surpass the six they scored at Shaftesbury six years ago.

Early indications showed that Amesbury would be the dominant side, as they nearly took the lead in the first minute. Great passing saw Sam Matthews in on goal, only for his angled shot to just clear the bar.

The visitors didn’t have to wait long to get on the score sheet, with Jesse Walters slotting home after five minutes.

Team Solent tried to get level straight away, but Amesbury fortuitously extended their lead, when the ball cannoned off the referee’s back falling to Walters, who fed the ball into Finnigan to hammer the Blues further ahead.

Moments later, Finnigan got his second as the Solent defence were caught napping as Amesbury went into the interval three up.

Solent came out in the second half a rejuvenated side and found a way back into the game, when Scott Rowe latched onto the end of a through ball to pull one back for the Southampton outfit.

Amesbury tried to regain their dominance and were finally rewarded when Finnnigan rounded off his hat-trick with 20 minutes left on the clock.

In a reverse from the first half, it was now the turn of Fininigan to turn provider, as he flicked the ball onto Walters to get his second and Amesbury’s fifth.

Rowe pulled another goal back for the host, but with ten minutes remaining it became the Ed Perrett show, when he scored three times in the space of six minutes to record an emphatic win.

Town will be entertained by East Cowes Victoria on Saturday (3.30pm).

  • Tyler Brockway has resigned for Amesbury Town for another season.