AFTER being outclassed in the first half of the season Ross looked out of contention in the league lying bottom, but a win at Monmouth School Sports Club agains Lansdown C has capped an amazing turn around and lifted them to 9th.

When looking at the improvement of Ross 2nd XI, there are plenty of statistics to explain and underline performances with basics like goals scored; percentages of possession; tackles made and missed; tallies of errors and missed passes.

Team sports can't always be reduced to mathematics or columns on a spreadsheet though. While Ross's stats give every indication of the progression made over the past month there may be other, less easily quantifiable forces at work.

With his hands tied due to selection issues, stand in captain Chris Chalk has continued to make bold team selections. For the second week without a keeper he instead used Tony Faulkner as a kicking-back. However missing a keeper was furthest from their thoughts as Ross soon found themselves two ahead inside the first fifteen minutes with goals from father and son duo, Steve and Alex Hetenyi.

Lansdown's lack of any holding midfield players allowed the Ross wide players Dan Mills and Rory Calderwood to cut through their defence.

However the domination soon began to ebb as Lansdown started to compete and push forward. Despite one fine goal line save, Falkner couldn't stop Lansdown converting a goal from a short corner. Steve Hetenyi then scored his second just before the break with a thunderous shot that went in off the post following a fine pass from Richard Harbottle.

Ross had barely settled down after the restart before Lansdown scored their second, but Ross brushed themselves down and took control of the remaining 30 minutes of the match. Midfielders Gareth Stockton, Sean Couch and Piers Tremlett started to express themselves, as Alex Hetenyi undertook a dazzling run from halfway and ended by rounding the keeper to score his brace.

Ross' recovery was complete just past the hour when Steve Hetenyi scored his hat-trick. The team were then cruising with the solid back four of Andrew Cross, Edward Peck, Greg Weston and Gareth Hughes having little further to do, and the game ending 5-2 in Ross' favour.