Phoenix 4-1 Hythe Town

Phoenix produce dominant display to beat Hythe Town.

Phoenix players celebrate Jake Goodman's goal

Phoenix Sports produced a dominant display at the Christopher Russell Stasium on Saturday, running out 4-1 winners over Hythe Town to secure another important three points.

The game started evenly, with both sides battling for territory, but it was Phoenix who looked the more dangerous in the final third.

A flurry of early corners caused problems for the visitors, with Harry Smart and Lyle Della-Verde both firing over from half chances.

The breakthrough came in the 25th minute. Ahkeem Belford launched a long throw into the Hythe box, and when the ball wasn’t cleared properly, Della-Verde pounced with a superb half-volley from the edge of the area to make it 1-0.

Phoenix continued to press and should have doubled their lead before the break. Will Efambe fired over following excellent work down the right, before Jake Goodman saw a header go narrowly wide.

The home side went into half-time in control but with just the one-goal advantage.

Phoenix came out strongly after the restart, with Smart testing the Hythe keeper inside the first minute of the half.

The pressure eventually told midway through the second period. In the 67th minute, Belford’s cross found Goodman in the box, and the defender showed great composure to swivel and fire home for 2-0.

Barely a minute later, Phoenix struck again. Smart pressed high and won possession before feeding Jerson Dos Santos, who coolly dinked the ball over the onrushing keeper for 3-0.

Hythe briefly threatened a comeback when Robbie Keil’s cross-shot found its way into the net in the 75th minute, but Phoenix quickly reasserted control. With seven minutes left, substitute Tyler Anderson wrapped up the scoring. A clever dummy from Dos Santos allowed Efambe to deliver a perfect cross, and Anderson made no mistake with a composed finish to make it 4-1.

It was no more than Phoenix deserved for a commanding performance, full of energy and quality in the final third. Next up for Phoenix is the visit of Corinthian FC in a match being played under the lights on Friday night. Tickets are now available online here.