Rutherford AFC produced a dominant display to see off Cleveland 6–4 in a pulsating encounter, despite a late flurry of goals from the visitors threatening to spoil the party.

The away side flew out of the blocks and asserted early control, dominating possession and creating chancesl. The breakthrough came just 12 minutes in when Michael rose highest to meet a corner from Joe. That lead was doubled on 24 minutes as Michael turned provider, slipping a clever through ball to Max Billingham, who finished confidently.

Joe got on the scoresheet himself shortly after a through ball from Billingham sent him in on goal before scoring at the far post. Rutherford continued to pile on the pressure and made it 4–0 on 40 minutes when Michael pounced on a rebound after the Cleveland goalkeeper failed to a corner.

Cleveland gave themselves a lifeline just before the break with a goal on 42 minutes, but any hope of a comeback looked slim when Rutherford added a fifth early in the second half—Max Billingham converting a James Lee assist to grab his second of the match.

Max Billingham then completed his hat-trick after Joe picked him out with a brilliant ball over the top, making it 6–1.

However, complacency crept in late on, and Cleveland took advantage. A quickfire trio of goals in just nine minutes stunned Rutherford and narrowed the deficit to 6–4. But despite the scare, Rutherford held on in the final stages to seal a deserved win.

Rutherford were by far the better side for most of the match—controlling tempo, dominating possession, and creating the better chances. While the late wobble may give the coaching staff something to address, the win was well-earned and emphatic.

Man of the match was Max Billingham for his match winning hat trick, some great finishes in the trio of goals today and he provided an assist to boot. Notable mentions go to the back 3 and Goalkeeper who I thought played very well for large portions of the game, especially in possession but also out of it too. All three covered well and Sam marked marked the leagues top scorer out of the game for the second time this season. Joe was excellent in a more central role and Amir had his best game at DCM for a while. On the whole, it was a great performance by all 13 members of the squad and they should be proud of their efforts and performance. Well done.