After the Cup treats of the past two Sundays, it was back to the bread-and-butter of league action for East Christchurch S.S.C. as they took on Berrans Park Avenue at Grange Road. Coming into this fixture, Berrans were proud possessors of a 100% record and were the only side yet to be beaten in Bournemouth football's top echelon. It promised, therefore, to be a stringent test of ECSSC's capabilities.

It is most pleasing to report then that the test was passed with a modicum of ease as the University Blues produced an excellent display to run out comfortable 3-0 winners. Espousing the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" mantra, Manager Dave Astbury retained the starting line-up that had done him proud the previous week in the trenches of Bransgore and saw his faith rewarded with 3 points garnered with style and purpose.

From the outset, ECSSC took the game to their opponents and set a tempo that Berrans struggled to come to terms with. The home side's passing was unerring in its accuracy and everyone was keen to join in. A number of chances had already come and gone by the time that East Christchurch took the lead with a deserved opener that was as clinical as it was good to watch. Picking up the ball in his own half, central defender James Taylor drilled a trademark long pass to Wayne Etherton who controlled the ball exquisitely on his chest before cleverly placing it beyond an oncoming keeper and into a corner of the net. Who says that "Route One" is ugly?

With their non-existent tails up, ECSSC poured forward and a second goal was not long in arriving. After an attack was blunted by the Berrans defence, Stuart Ellis, back to something like his outstanding form of last season, beat a couple of bodies to the by-line from whence he pulled a ball back for Lee Clark to rifle into the net from the edge of the 18 yard box. It was a sweetly struck effort from Clark who is a young player improving almost with every game he plays for East Christchurch.

While ECSSC's second goal was the product of the raw talents of youth, their soon-come third was provided from the ranks of the veteran contingent as Robbie Fox made it 3-0. The fleet-footed wing-wizard may not be as prolific as some others but what he may lack in quantity he certainly makes up for with quality and this goal was no exception. Gaining possession in an advanced position, striker Wayne Etherton, having selected his target carefully for height and heading ability, sent a cross to the far post where Fox sneaked in front of a dozing marker to send a curling, looping header into the top corner of the net, to the great disappointment of the visitors and the happy incredulity of his team-mates. From then until the interval, Fox wore a grin as wide as the Solent on his face.

The clear message at half-time was to maintain the focus in the second half and allow Berrans no easy route back into the contest. The habit of ruthlessness would be a handy one to develop with many tough assignments still facing East Christchurch. As it was, ECSSC did everything asked of them in the second period but were unable to increase their tally, through a combination of misfortune and unintentionally wayward finishing. Maybe they were trying too hard but the effort was faultless and the standard of their play in no way deteriorated after the break. Berrans, mainly through the midfield work of Carlo Tate and the threat from the ever-lively Kevin James up front, could not be taken lightly but, in truth, they posed few questions for the home defence in which Matt Piovan, James Taylor, Dan Whitehouse and Stuart Ellis were in such control that keeper Gary Caller could conceivably have spent most of this match with his feet up, reading a novel and drinking Horlicks.

As the game progressed, Dave Astbury was able to introduce all of his "bench" and each, in his own style, made eyecatching impacts. Michael Johnson had entered the play at an early stage, taking the place of Mark Taylor who wished not to push a tweaked hamstring any further. The transition was seamless and Johnson, from then on, was at the hub of all ECSSC's good work in the same way that "Ginge" usually is. Chris Forbes came on to add his pace and direct running and Sam Kennedy offered a good left-side option as East Christchurch demonstrated the depth in their ranks. Squad rotation is generally unheard of in Sunday morning football but Dave Astbury may be one of the lucky few managers with the chance to put it into practice.

At referee Paula Barnes' final whistle blast, East Christchurch had completed one of their most accomplished performances of the season to date and their third win on the trot. After the early inconsistencies of this campaign, Dave Astbury's side may be running into form at the best possible moment with crucial league and cup games awaiting them. On this evidence, that appears to be the case, with every single member of his squad capable of providing a telling contribution. Quiet optimism would appear to be the order of the day.