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WHEN the self-proclaimed "best finisher" at Town scores, you know it's going to be a good afternoon and that, more likely than not, three points will be coming to Wiltshire.

A cool finish with the outside of the boot past a helpless opposition keeper highlighted the player's boast, but who was the man with the high opinion of their attacking prowess?

Lee Peacock? Michael Timlin? Even teenage star Ben Joyce? No, the unlikely candidate was full-back Jack Smith.

And it's pretty big self-praise considering his strike against Port Vale was his first for Town from open play since his arrival at the club in the summer of 2005.

A negative 4-5-1 formation from the Valiants meant Smith and fellow full-back Miguel Comminges were given the space to get up the pitch and support the attack.

And in the 33rd minute another one of Smith's darts forward finally paid dividends. Receiving the ball from Jon-Paul McGovern, he held off the challenge of David Howland, broke into the box and placed it home.

The former Watford man has only scored from the penalty spot for Town, but for the County Ground fans it highlighted just what he does every day at Wanborough.

"I score them all the time in training - I'm the best finisher by far," he joked.

"I've just made the run and I thought it was quite a good touch. The defender's got a half a block on it but luckily it's bounced through and it was a good finish.

"I've scored a couple from open play for Watford before I came here and I think I've now got six in my career, so that's not too bad for a full-back."

Town recorded their second successive home win with a stunning first-half performance which saw them 5-0 up at the break.

Make no mistake about it, Port Vale were a terrible side and on this showing fully deserve their place at the wrong end of the League One. But you can only beat what's put in front of you, and Town did that in truly emphatic style.

Lee Peacock broke the deadlock in the 16th minute and Craig Easton's volley five minutes later doubled the lead to already put the result beyond any doubt.

Smith got in on the action midway through the half before Town scored twice right on the stroke of half-time.

First, the impressive Anthony McNamee skipped past two challenges to tuck the ball home for his first goal since arriving in Wiltshire, before Michael Timlin drove home from the edge of the box seconds later.

A much quieter second half saw Town complete the job in a professional manner, keeping a clean sheet and rubbing salt in the Vale wounds late on through Ben Joyce's sixth.

Smith admitted: "In the first half it was just one of those games. Every time we attacked we looked quite dangerous and got the goals that maybe in previous games we haven't been putting the chances away. But today everything we hit seemed to go in.

"There were games like Carlisle and ones like that where we hammered teams but didn't get the goals, so I think this was coming.

"At half-time the theme was don't concede a goal or it would take a little bit of gloss off the final score.

"The manager threatened us twice.

"He said before the game if you don't win you'll be in tomorrow, and then at half-time he threw another one in that if we concede we'll be in tomorrow.

"It's little things like that that keep you going.

"Five up at half-time, in the second half you're never going to hit the heights again but it's just a way of making sure you stay focussed and don't concede that goal."

7:50am Monday 21st April 2008

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