AFTER the previous weekend’s disappointing result at home, Wellington Reserves needed to bounce back in their tricky away game at St Martins and they did so in style with Jack Bryant scoring four times in a 6-2 win in the Premier Division of the Devon and Exeter League.

With all their central midfielders unavailable through injuries and holidays, player-manager Mark Owen started with Tom Hawkings and Connor Noble stepping into the central roles.

Wellington could not have asked for a better start as they took the lead just after five minutes when Bryant ran on to a pass and hit the ball past the keeper from just inside the box.

Wellington kept taking the game to St Martins and thought they had scored a second when Alfie Barrett headed past the keeper, only to be ruled offside.

But the second goal was not far away. As the ball was knocked into the St Martins box, it was not cleared properly, falling to Bryant on the penalty spot and he calmly knocked it past the keeper into the bottom right corner.

As the game approached the 40-minute mark ,the St Martins winger picked the ball up out wide, skipped past two defenders, and as he reached the edge of the box, hit a curling shot into the opposite top corner with Rob Hall in goal having no chance to make it 2-1 at the break.

Wellington had to make a change at half time as Owen was forced off with a back injury with Wes Poulsom moving back to fill the full-back role and Freddie Margettes coming on out wide.

Just past the 50-minute mark, Wellington were awarded a penalty when Alfie Barrett was fouled from behind as he raced into the box. Up stepped Ben Evett to hit it low into the corner and make it 3-1.

Shortly afterwards, Bryant made it 4-1 by completing his hat-trick with a thumping header from a corner.

With the game entering its final 15 minutes, St Martins pulled a goal back when they swung a free kick into the box which was headed home from close range past Hall.

There was not long to wait before Wellington had a fifth goal and again it was scored by Bryant – this time from a free-kick just outside the box which he drove home low and to the keeper’s left.

Wellington made numerous substitutions in the latter stages of the game, and it was one of them, Logan Sellick, who struck the sixth and final goal.

Welington Reserves: Rob Hall, Mark Owen, Dylan Groves, Sam Bryant, Tom Davies, Tom Hawkings, Connor Noble, Wes Poulsom, Ben Evett, Alfie Barrett, Jack Bryant. Substitutes: Luke Perry, Freddie Margettes, Josh Sibanda, Logan Sellick, Reegan Scotcher ( all used ).