Roystey Athletic 1 - 5 Thampton Albion

The visitors began with purpose and were three goals ahead by the 36th minute, with Nodar Meladze scoring twice and Ricardo Martinez adding another. Gheorghe Crespo supplied two assists in that opening burst, then helped set up Robert Cox after Mirsad Ahmetović briefly pulled one back for the hosts. Alessandro Pinto made it five in the 70th minute; the match had already offered a clear account of the difference between keeping possession and making it count.

The xG figures underline that distinction. Roystey Athletic scored once from 0.36 xG, outperforming the chance-quality estimate by 0.64, but produced only one shot, so their goal did not turn into a broader attacking threat. Thampton Albion scored five from 4.18 xG, a positive return of 0.82, backed by 19 shots and 15 on target. That volume, alongside the visitors’ early three-goal lead, points to sustained pressure and far more effective access to dangerous positions than the possession split alone suggests. The estimate is not a verdict on every finish, but here the shot count gave it a dependable supporting cast.

Key Events:

• 6' Thampton Albion Nodar Meladze scores, assisted by Gheorghe Crespo
• 31' Thampton Albion Nodar Meladze scores, assisted by Robert Cox
• 36' Thampton Albion Ricardo Martinez scores, assisted by Gheorghe Crespo
• 54' Roystey Athletic Mirsad Ahmetović scores
• 57' Yellow card to Thampton Albion Gheorghe Crespo
• 62' Thampton Albion Robert Cox scores, assisted by Gheorghe Crespo
• 70' Thampton Albion Alessandro Pinto scores
• 72' Yellow card to Roystey Athletic Yasuo Kimura

Roystey Athletic had no standout performers rated 7.0 or higher.

Thampton Albion

• Nodar Meladze (7.6) - Scored twice, giving the visitors an early platform and keeping the pressure on.
• Robert Cox (7.3) - Scored once and assisted Nodar Meladze’s second.
• Gheorghe Crespo (7.2) - Recorded three assists and a yellow card, with his delivery central to the visitors’ attacking return.

For Roystey Athletic, the 57% possession and 86% pass accuracy offer some evidence of control, but the single attempt makes that control difficult to mistake for attacking influence. Thampton Albion were more direct where it mattered: 15 efforts on target, five goals, and a scoreline that left little room for debate. The visitors’ finishing exceeded their xG without straying wildly from it; the hosts’ solitary goal was a bright interruption, not the start of a recovery. At 1-5, the match’s central lesson was plain enough: the ball can spend a long time at your feet and still spend the afternoon elsewhere.