RHU Amateurs boss Gordon Brodie was an understandably happy man after watching his side chalk up a second successive 4-0 league win on Saturday.
Luke Evans scored twice while Callum Dods and Jordan Wyllie also found the net as a first half blitz left visitors Alva floundering in torrential rain at Ardenconnel Park.
Two weeks after tumbling out of the Scottish Amateur Cup, the club’s Caledonian League squad look to have well and truly put that disappointment behind them – as well as recapturing some of the early season league form that got their 2023-24 campaign off to a flying start.
Speaking after the match, Brodie said: “This was another great team performance from the whole squad as we adapted to the conditions quickly and took our chances and controlled the whole game.
“We’ve bounced back after our Scottish cup exit with two resounding 4-0 victories and winning both games in different ways. It’s very encouraging for the management the way the boys are performing.”
Alva arrived in Rhu in confident mood after winning their last two home league fixtures to climb to fifth place in the First Division standings, six points ahead of their hosts, but it was the local side who flew out of the traps to seize control of the game.
The pitch at Ardenconnel was in fine condition before the game after a lot of hard work behind the scenes, but by the time the match kicked off the weather had taken a distinct turn for the worse, with heavy rain making it a challenging afternoon for both sides.
But after dominating the opening exchanges, it didn’t take Rhu too long to draw first blood, when some decent build-up play and nice work from Evans seeing the ball fall to Dods to expertly guide it into the bottom corner.
And the hosts soon doubled their advantage, with Evans, not for the first time, getting the better of Alva’s centre half and laying the ball on a plate for Wyllie to make it two.
Evans then got in on the act himself after setting up the first two, getting the better of the away defence and coolly bagging a brace to make it 4-0 at the interval.
With the weather refusing to let up, the message from the Rhu coaching staff was simple: keep it tight at the back and control the game, and Rhu carried out those instructions to the letter, showing tremendous game management to see out the 90 minutes in comfortable fashion.
The win for Brodie's squad completed a fine day's work for Rhu, coming hard on the heels of the Rhu Colts Saturday morning squad's 5-2 win away to Glasgow Ansar.
This Saturday, February 24, Rhu travel to Stirling to take on another of the Caledonian League’s new boys, Riverside AFC, with Brodie's squad looking for a repeat of the 5-2 win when the teams last met on the opening day of the campaign.
* Off the field, preparations are well under way for the club’s annual race night at Rhu and Shandon Community Hall on Saturday, March 2.
The event is the club’s main fund-raiser for the year, with all money raised going straight back to the club and the running of both the Colts and Caledonian League squads.
The race night starts at 7pm and the club is on the hunt for race sponsors (£50), horse sales (£2 per horse) and raffle prizes, as well as looking forward to welcoming lots of supporters on the night.
All are welcome to come along. Speak to any committee member or the coaching staff from either squad to find out more, or send a message to the ‘Rhu Amateurfc’ page on Facebook.
(Match photos by Tom Watt)
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