A NEAR flawless display from Highgate saw them begin the new Midland League Premier Division campaign in convincing style by beating Quorn 3-0 on Saturday.
Goals from Lei Brown, Shane Benjamin and Tyrone Smith gave the visitors a perfect start in a match that Gate dominated from start to finish.
Managers Ashley Pulisciano and Jamie Francis started with a familiar looking line up.
New faces included the returning Benjamin, who was signed from Coleshill Town, and Gavin Rodgers and Dale Taylor were also handed their debuts.
Gate started in a positive fashion but despite enjoying all the attacking play they were unable to create any clear cut opportunitues.
The first chance of the match came on the quarter-of-an-hour when Mark Taylor stung Thacker’s palms with a well struck shot from 20 yards out, and from the resultant corner the home goalkeeper produced an even better save to deny Turner’s shot on the turn.
Gate went close again in the 20th minute with Tom Lacey driving Benjamin’s cross marginally over.
Turner looked to have scored with a looping header off Taylor’s 32nd minute cross but the goal was disallowed for an infringement by a keen eyed official.
However the long-awaited breakthrough eventually came three minutes later when Nathan Edgington’s shot was saved but Brown was on-hand to pounce and fire home the rebound.
Gate’s own custodian Bradley Catlow remained untroubled throughout the 90 minutes and on the rare occasions Quorn did break into the Highgate half, any such minimal threat was comfortably dealt with by captain Trevor Edwards and an impregnable back line.
Despite their total dominance it took until the 77th minute for the visitors to score a second.
Brown did well to control Lacey’s 77th minute pass out of defence and he slipped the ball through for Benjamin to race on and beat Thacker with consummate ease.
Benjamin should have completed a quick brace only to glance what appeared to be a golden chance off substitute Tyrone Smith’s cross beyond Thacker’s right-hand post.
But five minutes from time Smith bagged the third and final goal when he finished off a surging 25-yard run with a crisp shot which was out of the goalkeeper’s reach to complete a fine afternoon’s work for Gate.
This Saturday Highgate are bracing themselves for a four figure attendance when they welcome Hereford FC, who were formed following the demise of former Football League and Conference side Hereford United.
