Talabi bags a brace as Ardley bounce back

Ardley ran out 3-0 winners in Tuesday’s premier division clash at Thame United where they bounced back from Saturday’s Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup exit at the hands of Carterton Town.

But there was little in the opening 20 minutes to suggest that the final score would be so emphatic in the visitors’ favour. Pinned into their own half, Ardley were forced to defend a series of attacks and corners but Thame failed to hit the target or were denied by some heroics from keeper Kieran Beesley.

A goalmouth scramble following a corner saw the ball cleared off the line and Beesley made a great save from Ollie Lynch’s deflected shot. Phil Pykett saw his 25 yard effort kept out by Beesley before the visitors took the lead against the run of play.

Troy Bryan turned and released Reece Bayliss who slipped the ball across the box for the oncoming Jacob Daffern who unleashed an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the net.

Thame started the second half just as brightly as they had finished the first and Dan West headed over from a corner.

The game swung from end to end before Ardley doubled their advantage midway through the half when Bayliss skipped past a couple of challenges on the left, his shot was blocked but Talabi made no mistake from close range.

Beesley prevented Thame from getting back into the game before Ardley wrapped it up with a third goal when keeper Henry Craven ran out of his area to clear a through ball and collided with his own defender to leave Talabi to walk the ball into an empty net.