Spartan South Midlands Premier Division Colney Heath 3 Haringey Borough 0 COLNEY Heath got back on the winning track with a 3-0 win over a struggling Haringey Borough side. Goals from Ian Cooper, Phil Jackman and Joel Norris gave the Magpies all three poi

Spartan South Midlands Premier Division

Colney Heath 3 Haringey Borough 0

COLNEY Heath got back on the winning track with a 3-0 win over a struggling Haringey Borough side.

Goals from Ian Cooper, Phil Jackman and Joel Norris gave the Magpies all three points and their first victory in three outings and boss Scott Lacey was pleased with the way his players had responded to criticism.

"It's encouraging stuff based on the previous two results. The lads responded quite well to negative comments from people," Lacey said.

"Both central midfielders Greg Deacon and Jack Coombs pulled out half an hour before the game. It's quite hard to reshape your team when the heart is ripped out but the lads who went in did well. Liam Beaumont in there was outstanding and Matt Corbould was a rock at the back."

Heath took the lead when Cooper converted a spot kick. Haringey defender Rafael Mwafyamu was penalised for a tug of the shirt in the box and Cooper stepped up and confidently fired past Nick Christofi. With just 15 minutes remaining Heath doubled their advantage. Norris was given time and space to get away a shot from distance which crept inside the right hand post. The result was put beyond doubt five minutes from time when Jackamn headed home unchallenged following a corner.

"Haringey weren't as bad as their position suggests and I can see them improving," continued Lacey. "It was quite a professional performance.

"It was nice to see the subs coming on and scoring. When we were doing well our subs' strike rate was good and it's always great to have a strong bench in your locker.

"The last two weeks taught us a lesson. It's harder to be at the top than trying to get there because everyone wants to beat you.

"You have to be on your game because there aren't many bad sides in this league. It's that complacency that we've had to get rid of."

The Heath boss was also full of praise for the performance of the match officials.

"The first goal was brilliant refereeing," said Lacey. "He let a foul go in the box but pulled it back for a penalty when there wasn't an advantage.

"The officials' performance was the best we've had this season. He was absolutely brilliant - he was man enough to admit when he'd made a mistake and stuck by his decisions so everybody knew where they stood. I'm often critical of referees but credit where credit is due."

Colney Heath: Blackman; Teasdale, Corbould, Gerber, Dillnutt; Ashwood, Beaumont, Stevens, Garrity; Newman, Cooper. Subs: Jackman, Norris, Clark, Lacey.