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Morpeth Town put on a dominant display as they put four past Dunston UTS in a 4-0 win in their latest pre-season outing.
Andrew Johnson netted his second of pre-season in the 16th minute before Liam Henderson’s early second half double and a Carl Finnigan effort late on.
Both sides started brightly on a baking hot afternoon in Dunston, with a sun-soaked pitch providing no hiding place from the elements in Morpeth’s third pre-season fixture.
Despite being neat and tidy on the ball, the visitors were thankful to keeper Dan Lowson, making two very smart stops to deny a glancing header across goal before, moments later, diving full stretch to stop a curling effort finding the top corner.
After that, though, the visiting Highwaymen turned the screw and took a stranglehold of the game. With the defence looking assured and confident sweeping up the loose ball, and the attacking four looking a threat, Town began to create chances of their own.
The first of those lead to the opening goal through Johnson. The midfielder broke through the hosts’ backline in the 16th minute, before cutting in off the left flank and dinking the ball expertly over Dunston stopper Liam Connell.
He nearly copied that moment, but the second attempt, four minutes later, bobbled comfortably to Connell from a similar position.
Such was the heat, a drinks break was required midway through the first half as the players began to tire.
But, far from wilting, Morpeth stepped it up a gear in the second half, with Henderson bagging a quick-fire brace.
The first of those came in the 52nd minute when he latched on to a route one ball forward, following a defensive mix-up, before calmly slotting through the legs of the keeper.
He cashed in for a second time two minutes later, sending a looping header into the back of the net after Ryan Donaldson’s, making his debut for the Highwaymen after his move from Hartlepool United, delivery in from the left.
The Highwaymen should have extended their advantage in the 65th minute, but Finnigan was denied by the legs of the keeper from close range.
There was still time for a fourth with seven minutes to go, Finnigan finding a way to score, despite being on the way down, to make it 4-0.
Town are next in action when they travel to Stockton on Wednesday night (7.45pm).
MORPETH TOWN: Lowson; Walton, Reid, J.Henderson, Phillips; Noble, Hodgson; Foalle, Donaldson, Johnson; L.Henderson.
SUBS: Forster, Sayer, Finnigan, Turner, Trialists
