Brodie breaks goalscoring duck in East Preston's emphatic victory

Brodie was at the double - notching his first goals for the club since a September switch from Bostik League Premier Division Worthing - while Jake Heryet and Hayden Hunter were also on the scoresheet in EP’s comprehensive 4-0 triumph.

East Preston boss Bob Paine was relieved to see forward Brodie finally break his duck and said: “After coming from Worthing in September he has made 20-odd appearances and those were his first two goals for us. Luke has contributed well towards the team since joining and now he has his reward by getting a couple of goals. Hopefully these goals will help his confidence grow further.”

The fixture was switched to Steyning Town FC’s Shooting Field with concerns Mavericks’ Lyons Way pitch may not have passed an inspection after persistent rainfall over the Easter weekend.

EP boss Paine felt the switch to Steyning’s home, who play on a 3G surface, suited his side’s style of play and said: “We played very well and created some great stuff and deserved the victory we got.”

East Preston went ahead as early as the fourth minute. Brodie’s clever spin and finish saw him finally get his first goal.

Brodie was again involved as EP doubled their advantage ten minutes later. This time Brodie turned provider as he played in Heryet for the easiest of tap-ins.

A dominant first-half display from East Preston was rounded off when Hunter added a third seven minutes before the break. He cut in from the left and smashed an effort into the top corner.

Brodie made sure the wait for his second East Preston goal would not be as long as his first as he scored again 20 minutes from time. The ex-Worthing forward headed home at the back post to round off the scoring. East Preston moved up two places to 12th in the table thanks to the victory over Mavericks.

Paine is delighted with his side’s continued progress and said: “Right from the start, it was always our aim to finish around mid-table and we have enough points to keep us up. We’ve got better as the season has gone on, we’ve got a very young side and they’re progressing and developing game by game, our last three results have shown that.

East Preston host Haywards Heath Town, who went top on Easter Monday, on Saturday and then travel to fellow title-chasers Three Bridges the following week.

EAST PRESTON: Purkis; DaCosta, Lyne, Etherington, Beaney; Gilbertson, Barnes; Heryet, Quirke, Hunter; Brodie. Subs: Josh Parazo (Lyne, 75), Laughlin (Gilbertson, 75), Huet (Brodie, 79), Donaldson, Searle.