Manager Chris Webster made some changes for the match with Tim Dulson returning in goal, while Webster himself returned to the defence with Chris Davies, after both overcame recent injury woes. Danny Shaw started his first game of the season at right-back, with James Phillips continuing on the left. A midfield trio comprised Andy Rhodes and James Amos who were making their first starts and Jordan Watkins on the left. Rhys Jones as captain, was accompanied up front by James Naik and Dan Johnson who were both making their first starts of the season.
We Hate Ben started strongly and immediately began the attack, R. Jones rattling the crossbar with an effort and Naik going wide with an overhead kick from range. WHB did however start to make the Exile goalkeeper work and won a corner. R. Jones played the ball into the middle of the goalmouth, causing a scramble with Phillips managing to sweep home to score his first goal from close-range. Soon afterwards the pressure continued to tell when a second R. Jones corner was again turned in at the far post by Phillips, giving him the honour of scoring the clubs 100th league goal. Another corner saw Shaw come close to opening his account, while Watkins would have had a contender for goal of the season had the Exile keeper not managed to produce a wonder save from his 30-year volley, just managing to tip the strike over the bar. WHB continued to make strides forward until the end of the half, but couldn't find a third goal. Webster made three substitutions before the break, with Dan Fellows replacing Amos, Jay Walker replacing Johnson and Henrik Eidi replacing Naik. WHB looked untroubled defensively apart from a brilliant sliding tackle from Amos to deny what may have been a goalscoring opportunity.
The second-half started in the same fashion and it took only minutes for WHB to add the third goal they had been looking for. Watkins scored his third of the campaign to cap a good performance from him and become the top goalscorer for this season for the club, after Eidi flicked the ball to him in the box from R. Jones cross. Walker was given the ball by Rhodes on the left and he beat the full-back and turned inside to find space on the edge of the box to hit a curling effort into the far corner, a stunning effort for him. Another wave of substitutions were made this time with Stuart Fleming and Phil Bridgman coming on, and WHB won a penalty after a Bridgman effort was handled. Fleming stepped up to cooly send the goalkeeper the wrong way with a bottom-left strike, scoring his first ever goal for the club. Fleming was then substituted after celebrating wildly. Another corner this time taken by Watkins was met by the head of Ingham to score his first WHB goal and firmly put the game beyond doubt early in the second half. R. Jones found substitute Peter Thomas who headed home from another corner to score the seventh, while the eight was a Bridgman finish after a scramble from a Will McIhiney corner. The ninth goal was scored by Webster with a great turn and half-volley from a Johnson header across the box, somewhat fitting that the player-manager grabbed the final goal in his first league win as manager.
We Hate Ben must now bring the confidence gained from this win into Sunday's match with title favourites Pandas to have any chance, but will remember that they narrowly lost 2-1 in a league match last season without a recognised goalkeeper. This win also saw We Hate Ben equal their highest ever winning margin, set back in 2008 with a 9-0 victory over Gigolo Warriors. Only James Naik who managed the side that day remains with the club.
Team (4-3-3)
Dulson - Shaw, C. Davies, Webster, Phillips - Rhodes, Amos, Watkins - R. Jones (C), Naik, Johnson.
Subs: Fellows, Eidi, Ingham, Thomas, Bridgman, McIlhiney, Walker, Fleming.
Goals: Phillips 2, Walker, Ingham, Fleming (pen), Watkins, Thomas, Bridgman, Webster.
Man of the match: Phillips
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