Defeat for the second game running has left Athletic staring at the bottom of the league.
After last weeks close, but not close enough, defeat against PSV Hangover, Hardly went into this game looking to open their account for the season and stuck with the same seven as the week before.
The game started with Gordon forced into a couple of early saves but Athletic held firm until Dan Buxton was forced off, shortly after coming on at first change, after suffering a nose bleed following a 50/50 tackle that saw the ball fly up and strike the defender in the face. With Matthew Peart back on Athletic passed the ball around well but left gaps at the back and two accurate strikes left them trailing at the break.
Buxton returned at the start of the second half but Allstars were into a great rhythm and passed the ball around fantastically, and with the lack of defence cover to help out Buxton and keeper Gordon, shots rained in on goal and the game quickly got away from Athletic as four quick strikes put the team 6-0 down. Tempers threatened to boil over when, following a tangle involving an Allstars player and Chris Cope, the Allstars player lashed out at Cope before Buxton dished out similar treatment before the ref called both over.
The goal of the night was yet to come though as Cope hit a fantastic half volley into the top corner of the net to chalk up the first Athletic strike before the game was completed by a seventh for Allstars.
The two sides meet again next week, 7.05pm ko, this time in a cup clash, and Athletic currently have two byes in their next league games due to vacancies in the league and so are not in league action until 17th February when they will face fellow newboys Pathetic Athletic.