A change of competition did bring about an impressive change of fortune as a Dom Mosca hat-trick and a blistering second-half performance fired Oxhey Jets into the semi-finals of the Herts Charity Shield with a 4-1 victory over Hoddesdon Town last night.
Jets went into the tie on the back of six straight league defeats and with problems finding the back of the net, but after falling behind the hosts got back on terms before half-time and then turned on the attacking style.
Both sides had to make changes as the heavy early season fixtures list took its toll on the players, so with Andre Lopes, Sean Giordmaina, and Dylan Roberts out injured and Liam Osborne on holiday Jets reorganised again.
A tight and cagey first half saw both sides probing and keeping things tight, but the visitors edged the possession while the South Oxhey side were still loose with the final ball.
It was Hoddesdon who struck first in the 36th minute when a peach of a ball from Eden Bailey split the defence apart for Ben Clarke to slot home.
However, this setback galvanised the home side and after twice going close they equalised when George Rice powered a ball across the face of the goal for the unmarked Mosca to tap into an empty net.
Although results have not been going their way, recent performances have suggested Jets were about to turn a corner and they display they had been threatening arrived in the second half.
They went in front five minutes after the restart when Mosca attacked from wide and his powerful shot beat the Hoddesdon keeper via a slight deflection.
Jets smelt blood, tore into Town and two minutes later some excellent inter play ended with Mosca completing his hat-trick with a blistering shot high into the net.
Hoddesdon made changes and tried to get back into the match but Jets were in a ruthless mood, attacking in anger following recent results and their opponents had no answer.
The game was topped off when the superb Owen Ayres shuffled his hips and left the chasing pack for dead before curling an excellent finish into the net to score his side’s fourth in the 80th minute.
Jets’ reward is a home tie against the winners of Colney Heath and Wormley Rovers in the semi-finals but the immediate priority is to take this performance into the league and look to climb the table.
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