It has to be said that our return to the SAL has been a bit of a 'baptism of fire' for the first team. Disappointing results in our opening fixtures have not been helped by losses in three cup competitions leaving us to concentrate on giving a better account of ourselves in the league campaign. The good news is that the league is proving to be extraordinarily competitive and other results mean that we are not as far behind as we might have been, given the score lines. Getting to the Bank of England sports ground was relatively straightforward, the weather and the pitch both fine, more importantly we had a full complement of players so, despite a number of changes to the starting eleven, spirits were high as the game kicked off.

In the early skirmishes we had the better of the ball so to fall behind on 14 minutes as a hopeful cross got lost in flight and scuffed off the leg of the unfortunate Jamie Clark and eluded goalkeeper Ben Corfts-Mullin to cross the goal line was a cruel twist of fate. Unperturbed by the fluke we continued to press and got an early response as Henry Williams flighted a beautiful hanging ball played from the right channel to the far post finding the run from Ryan Allison in from the left wing-back position perfectly timed for a diving bullet header to ripple the net and equalise. As the game settled down we continued to get the better penetration as our hosts maintained a relatively narrow defensive posture, both Charles Kibuuka on the right side and Allison on the left finding space on the wings to threaten. It was from one such position on the left that Andrew Robson was able to surge into the box and his driven ball across the goal was met by Allison who tapped in from close range to break the deadlock just before half time.

Unfortunately, captain on the day Clark had to be withdrawn at half time, but with the aforementioned full compliment on the day he had a high quality replacement in Charlie Heath, as manager Brendan Kelly shuffled his pack. With the game poised at 2-1 the start of the second half was going to be all important and it took less than four minutes for an individual effort from Akim Tiyamiyu to stretch the advantage, as the visitors pressed high and won the ball, as they had done throughout the game. It took only another seven minutes for Heath to seize upon a perfecty weighted through ball from Kibuuka and effectively seal the win with an emphatic finish. It wasn't the end of the action though as a defensive lapse from a free-kick let in our hosts in for a consolatory second. A short while later the home side repaid the favour as an attempt to play out from a goal kick came under immediate pressure from the hustling and bustling Tiyamiyu and the ball broke to Heath who tucked away his second of the day. To get a win after a run of poor results is clearly encouraging but the manner of the victory gives hope that our mojo might finally be back. COYP