Redditch United 6, Bromsgrove Sporting 2

BROMSGROVE Sporting were no match for Redditch United’s firepower in an entertaining pre-season clash at the Valley Stadium on Saturday.

Redditch manager Liam McDonald may have lost of his talented young guns but those still in his charge showed they were just as potent as they swept aside old rivals Bromsgrove.

Talented winger Omari Sterling-James completed his move to League Two side Cheltenham Town on the eve of this match but he was hardly missed as Sporting struggled to deal with the precocious talents of Jermaine Hylton and Jamie Molyneux.

Dave Bridgwater, Ricardo Reid and Jamie Spencer also chipped in with goals while a solid midfield and defensive display also played their part but it was Hylton and Molyneux who had the visitors in tatters with their fancy footwork and searing pace.

Hylton opened the scoring inside five minutes before thunder, lightning and torrential rain forced the players to leave the field for 20 minutes.

Hylton then put an effort just wide before Bromsgrove went close to levelling when former Redditch striker Josh McKenzie collected a Darious Darkin through ball only to crash his shot against the upright.

Good work from United newboys Liam Spink and Spencer saw the latter double the lead ten minutes before the break – his fifth goal in three pre-season games.

If the Reds had shaded the opening half, they totally dominated the second helped by the introduction of the mercurial Molyneux.

He bagged his first with a cool finish on 54 minutes only to curl a wonderful effort beyond former United keeper Jake Bedford on the hour.

Some sloppy defending threatened to derail the Reds as Billy Russell, another playing against his former side, pounced on 69 minutes with Darkin adding another ten minutes later.

But having briefly lost concentration, McDonald’s men finished with a flourish. Hylton powered an audacious long-range effort against the woodwork before Reid, another summer signing, stamped his mark on the game by setting up Bridgwater before rounding off the scoring in the final minute.

Reds: Catlow, Jones, Flanagan, Oshungbure, Mutton, Scarr, Spink, Sammons, Spencer, Hylton, Carlisle. Subs: Molyneux, Caines, Loveridge, Recci, Reid.

Bromsgrove: Bedford, Duggan, Ludlow, Mahon, Parker, Jones, Williams, Darkin, Bellingham, McKenzie, Taylor. Subs: Mander, Russell, Campbell, Conway.