Riley stars as Derby score nine

By Paddy Finnemore

A Jordan Riley hat trick helped Derby Futsal run riot on a special day for the club as they defeated Liverpool Futsal 9-0.

Derby were the hosts of the day, every game in the league was held as St Georges Park, the home of England Futsal and Derby they not disappoint.

This win maintained The Rams 100% record in the league and now are top of the table on goal difference from Loughborough.

It didn’t take long for Derby to open the scoring, Riley scoring in the first minute after a well worked corner routine, left all on his own, the number 14 fired the hosts ahead.

The lead doubled 11 minutes later, Gareth Keeling got his first of the day after good work from Sam Huntingdon winning the ball back, setting Liam Hunt who shot, Keeling was there with a clever flick to finish the move off.

With only 15 minutes played, Matt Richardson got his second of the season, reacting to flick the ball home, to bring an end to Derby’s dominance in the first half.

The second half started very much like the first, a minute after the restart, Riley got his second with another powerful effort, after an imaginative set-piece which was a theme throughout the match.

Riley’s hat trick was sealed in the 31st minute, another long-range effort perfectly placed into the corner, off the post. Liverpool was starting to struggle as only a minute later, Keeling got his second which was very much like his first, cleverly directing the ball into the net from a shot from distance.

Derby’s strength in depth was coming into play now, Matt Silver grabbing his first of the season and The Rams seventh of the game with a fantastic effort that flew into the top corner. Two minutes later he was at it again, a pure strike from a tight angle, past the unfortunate Liverpool keeper before he could react.

With a minute left, Alec Barnden got his first goal for the club, and it didn’t disappoint. Running in behind the defence, he latched onto the long pass, brought it down well and calmly chipped the keeper to end the domination and perfect performance to cap off an excellent day for the club.

Nine goals and a clean sheet, Derby now have the best defensive record in the NFS. The Rams will be hoping to continue their perfect form in two weeks with a home tie against third place York at the University of Derby.