ANDY NICOL dedicated his hat-trick in Bromsgrove Sporting’s 10-0 thumping of relegation battlers Pelsall Villa to his newly-born baby daughter.
After celebrating the birth of Poppy on Tuesday night, Nicol came on from the bench to score his second Sporting treble yesterday (Saturday) and help extend the Rouslers’ unbeaten Midland League Division One run to 30 games.
The 29-year-old scored goals six, eight and ten in the double figures victory which means Paul Smith’s men only need four more wins from their remaining eight games to secure that elusive promotion to the Premier Division.
Leading goalscorer Jason Cowley also bagged a seven-minute second-half hat-trick for Sporting while Luke Shorthouse, Liam Spink, Sam Wills and Tom Craine also got on the scoresheet.
“I had a good feeling that if I got some time on the pitch I’d get a few goals and the hat-trick is for my new baby daughter Poppy,” said Nicol, who has scored 11 goals in 20 appearances for Sporting this season.
“I did not think I played well in the time I was on the pitch but I have scored three goals which is pleasing – I am a striker and that’s what I am there to do.
“They [Pelsall] stifled us a bit during the first half and came into the break just 2-0 down but in the second half we really turned the screw.
“There were some good contributions off the bench, not only from myself but John Pykett and Tom Craine who have done well which shows the strength in depth we have got.”
The Rouslers have now scored 106 goals this campaign, second to promotion chasing AFC Hinckley who have 110, but boast a much better goal difference of 84 having only conceded 22 goals so far.
And Nicol said a lack of goals was something which assistant manager Brendan Kelly had been drilling into the players in recent weeks.
“I looked at how many goals we had scored compared to Hinckley before the game and I think we were about 11 or 12 behind them,” he added.
“We have got a much better defensive record but it’s good we have scored ten goals.
“Our assistant manager said over the last few months we were performing well away from home but not really come to fire at the Victoria Ground.
“In our last three games we have scored 20 goals which is testament to what Brendan has asked us to do but also the players for going out there and doing what they were told to do.”
