United moved nine points clear at the top of the Blue Square Premier as they put Grays to the sword this afternoon. Two first half goals from top scorer James Constable, two for  Jack Midson  and one for Jamie Cook gave United more daylight at the top and made it seven wins from eight home games so far.

It took just nine minutes for United to find the opener, and once again it was a fine free kick that did the trick. For the third game in a row United 's hard work on the training ground paid off, this time Jamie Cook curling in a left footed effort from the right edge of the area to find Constable completely unmarked and able to head home his tenth of the season with considerable ease from eight yards out.

That finish was easy, but the next was simplicity itself as Constable walked the ball into an empty net. A lobbed through ball was shorter than Grays keeper Preston Edwards had thought, and although it reached the area Edwards got to the ball at exactly the same time as the flying Matt Green. Both jumped for the ball but Edwards failed to gather and as it ran free off of Green's torso Constable was all on his own to walk the ball home. Edwards protested so much he received a yellow card, but his challenge had been unconvincing. Nine times out of ten a foul would have been given, but credit to ref Merchant for having the courage to stick with what he saw.

Constable almost had the hat trick on 34 as he raced on to a right wing cross but scuffed his effort  wide from fifteen yards under pressure from Anwar Uddin, but before half time the game was effectively finished as a contest as Constable teed up the third. Muscling past a defender with ease Constable ran free, reached the area, cut inside another man and then squared the ball perfectly for Cook, six yards out, to sidefoot home his sixth of the season.

Constable had been talking to the bench for ten minutes before that after a kick to the knee and was immediatley substituted as a precaution, allowing him to take a deserved ovation and give Jack Midson a chance to impress up front. He did just that, linking play well and then scoring the fourth.

The second half saw the irrepressible  Adam Murray pushed further forward to support Midson, with Green and Cook going wide than the first period, and the game became one way traffic as Grays dropped deeper and deeper.

Green tested Edwards with a shot from the edge of the area on 62, and when Grays did finally get a sight of Ryan Clarke's goal on 66 Luke Foster was on hand to make a magnificent flying block to deny Jamie Slabber. Slabber also had a last minute effort well saved by Ryan Clarke  who will have been delighted with yet another clean sheet.

A fourth goal was coming and the only surprise was that it took until the 73rd  minute. When it did it was courtesy of an Adam Chapman drive from the edge of the box which wasn't quite hit truly, but might have sneaked in at the far post. Midson definitely scored it though, deftly flicking it across Edwards and into the net to make it 4-0 and to register his third goal in three home games. The next wasn't far away.

United have proper firepower; three of their usual four strikers scoring in this game, and have the youthful promise of Aaron Woodley also coming through, and four days short of his 17th birthday the young striker from Abingdon was given an extended run out in the closing stages in place of the outstanding Murray. The U's also have that total belief in each other and in what they are doing, which should stand them in good stead for tougher tests that lie ahead.

Their day was complete on 90 as Midson rounded Edwards who brought him down and was sent off. Unwar Uddin went in goal (the ref helping him out the shirt on after he foolishly donned the gloves first!) but was helpless as Midson slammed the penalty past him into the corner of the net.

A job well done and United march on.

Att:6,150

Away: 52

Report by Chris Williams

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