Photo: Chelsie Hay celebrates with Charlie Snelling as she scores seven. Photo credit: Gary Marsh

Spectators enjoyed a baker’s dozen of goals on Sunday as Winchester City Flyers thrashed Woodley United 12-1 at the Charters Community Stadium.

Striker Chelsie Hay bagged seven goals as vice-captain Charlie Snelling hit a hattrick and Shayne Prasad scored twice to round out the scoring.

Winchester are still in the mix for the title race as the Southern Region Premier Division reaches the business end of the season.

At the start of play, the Flyers sat nine points behind league leaders Wycombe Wanderers with three games in hand as the Chairgirls hosted fellow promotion-chasing AFC Portchester.

An overcast afternoon in Winchester started badly for the home side, who saw themselves go a goal down with less than three minutes on the clock.

Woodley were awarded a freekick after a challenge from captain Emma Whitlock.

The set piece was well struck as it hit the underside of the crossbar, and the quickest to react was United’s Sumaya Zayadi.

Winchester didn’t let the goal rattle them and were soon creating a plethora of chances to level things.

It took them until the 18th minute to get the equaliser when Laura da Silva set up Hay, who turned and fired into the bottom corner.

Four minutes later, the Flyers found themselves in front as Snelling’s headed in a Laura Vokes corner.

They extended the lead in the 32nd minute with a move starting from goalkeeper Lauren Sayler, who picked out Whitlock in space to thread a lovely ball through for Hay.

The striker raced clear of the defence into the box and squared the ball into the path of Prasad, who found herself goal side of the defender.

Before the half was over, Hay grabbed her second of the match.

Da Silva saw a shot well saved by Jo Nowak-Allum before Prasad crossed the loose ball back into the box for Hay to turn home from a couple of yards out.

A strong first 45 for Winchester after going behind early, and the intensity never wavered as the game entered the second-half and the rain poured down.

Minutes after the restart, Snelling had her second after Prasad intercepted a goalkick, the vice-captain made a deft flick over the defender before smashing home City’s fifth.

In the 59th minute, Snelling grabbed her hattrick heading home another great Vokes corner.

Not to be outdone, Hay bagged her own hattrick less than a minute later, taking advantage of intercepting a back pass to make it 7-1.

There were 15 minutes between the seventh and eighth goals as Lily Dalton picked out a free Hay who had only one thing on her mind as she danced around the Woodley defence to dispatch her fourth goal.

The goal hungry forward showed her value in the 79th and 81st minute as she grabbed two more, Woodley unable to stop her, with Sian Wylie assisting Hay’s sixth goal of the game.

In front of goal, the Flyers had been clinical and impressive as the football they had been playing all day.

With five minutes of normal time remaining, half-time substitute Sharna Capel-Watson threaded a lovely ball in behind for Hay to fire in low for her seventh.

Before the final whistle was blown, there was time for one more as Hay turned provider for Prasad to score her second.

An empathic win for the Flyers, who start second in the table and go within six points of Wycombe after their 1-0 home defeat to AFC Portchester.

Next up Winchester have two big cup games in four days as they take on Farnborough in the North Hants DFA Cup final on Thursday 19th March before hosting Wycombe the following Sunday in the Southern Region League Cup semi-final.

Full-time: Flyers 12 Woodley United 1