Marlborough United 2–0 Edgbaston FC: business as usual

The league leaders went about their business quietly, which is how they always do it. Two goals in the first half-hour settled nothing immediately, but also everything: Marlborough United are now three points clear at the summit, and Edgbaston have spent another September evening wondering where it went.

The breakthrough arrived in the 16th minute through Ludwig Pirzer, a man who specialises in arriving late. I first noted his timing three years ago, when he was playing wide-left for a side that insisted on crossing to no one. He has refined the habit. The goal here was open-play, but the important detail was the positioning: he had drifted off his marker before Edgbaston's press even committed. One touch to settle, one to score. The defenders were still discussing who was responsible when the ball hit the net.

Kweku Mosibudi doubled the lead in the 30th minute, exercising the simplest of football truths. He had scored inside six minutes against Llandaff last month. He knows the 30th minute as well as anyone. The finish was composed, the movement beforehand smarter, and the scoreboard stopped believing this was a contest.

Edgbaston, seventh and out of sorts, never quite recovered from the early concession. They had drawn 1-1 with Marlborough earlier in the season, but practically all of that memory stayed in the dressing room. The hosts dropped off after the second goal, happy to conserve energy. The visitors had plenty of the ball and nowhere to put it.

Tomorrow brings Matchday 39 quietly. Marlborough's form has a ceiling nobody has confirmed yet: Edgbaston's does not. The gap in the table is 19 points. Slot them into that. But nobody on this evidence expects it to shrink quickly.