On the heels of the six goal performance against Aldergrove last week, the Richmond Pioneers entertained Giant Panda at Blundell Park and produced another comprehensive team performance, with four second half goals—and a Danny Lazar hat-trick—in a convincing 5-1 victory.

Blundell Park was in good shape despite a few days of rain, although conditions at kickoff time was dry and windy.

With the wind at their backs, the Pioneers struck first courtesy of a well executed 'route one' goal. Graham Mason's long pass picked out Ken Johnston on the right wing, and his pinpoint cross was headed home by Danny Lazar.

The Pioneers were controlling the game with relative ease, and Panda's rare forays into the Pioneers half were comfortably dealt with by the Pioneer back line. The game was combative at times, Ken Swanston being the main protagonist in the eyes of the visitors. In one of the more comical exchanges, Lorne Baumel and a Panda defender engaged in a prolonged battle for the ball that was a cross between WWF wrestling and ballroom dancing, as they twirled each other around the field, the referee inexplicably allowing play to continue. There is no truth to the rumour that Baumel and his 'dance partner' exchanged phone numbers after the game.

The Pioneers were thrilled to see midfield maestro Denis Harvington don the red shirt again, and his presence helped give the Pioneer midfield an extra cutting edge, even if his shooting was, well, absolutely pitiful.

Despite the Pioneers' dominance in the first half, they went into the break with just the one goal to show for their efforts.

At the start of the second half, Giant Panda enjoyed a prolonged spell of pressure, which culminated in the tying goal from a corner kick, the Panda forward getting a free header as the Pioneers (OK, let's be more specific: Graham Mason) were (was) caught napping (daydreaming).

Following the setback, the Pioneers had a new urgency about them, and soon regained the lead, albeit from fortuitous circumstances. As the Panda goalkeeper attempted to punt the ball downfield, he only succeeded in rattling the ball off the derriere of one of his defenders, the loose ball falling kindly to Ken Johnston, who accepted the gift and promptly put the ball in the net for the Pioneer's second goal. Apparently there is an assman on every team.

If the second goal was lucky, there were no ifs and 'butts' (ouch, sorry) about the third goal. The Pioneers worked the ball nicely up the left channel courtesy of some one-touch passing between Dennis Luk and Mason, before Johnston's pass sent Danny Lazar clear on goal, the red hot striker getting his second with a clinical, cool finish.

The third goal clearly deflated the visitors, and their resistance crumbled. Lazar completed his hat-trick and Evgeni Kushnir added a fifth to round out the scoring.