THIS was just what Monmouth Town Andrew Smith would have put on his letter to Father Christmas – three points in a league game and a much improved second half performance.

For an hour though it looked anything but gift wrapped as the home team unsettled the champions, pressing high and doubling up when Town had the ball in advanced positions. This gave little time for Evans, MacDonald et al to settle on the ball and exert any real or lasting influence.

In attack the young winger Barria was giving the Monmouth back line a torrid time and Blackburn came to the rescue three times in the opening half hour making superb stops.

Alderdice was clattered with an elbow which the referee didn't see, and minutes later Town were behind as Blackburn was impeded, allowing a header to fly past him from a home corner.

Town look frustrated before and after going behind, perhaps disrupted by the stop-start nature of the game.

The second half immediately looked different as Smith repeated his orders to pay further up the field and force errors from the home team. Town got behind the defence early on with great work by Nick Harry (pictured) and, from a corner, a couple of chances fell to players before Harrhy poked home from close range.

It looked from there that Town would build on their equaliser but it took some time to get the second as Ford finally found the space on the right on his return to the team and drilled in a low cross which was turned into the Village goal by a home player.

Town still had some scary moments but were turning the screw as Village looked to get an equaliser of their own.

Chris Ham finally got the third after beating five players on a mazy dribble which saw him round the keeper and slot home. A breakaway from MacDonald set up an easy fourth for Harrhy as three points came back to Monmouth.