Vs. Red Lion (H)

 

 

 

Starting XI

Substitutes:

 

 

Gary Walsh

 

Owen Davies

 

Gary Williams

 

Paul Rook

 

Paul Ford

(62 Darrell Hartley)

Dave Mills

 

Alan Cowley

 

Andy Mills (c)

 

Pete Cooper

 

Adam Johnson

 

Dom Fowler

(62 Mike Gould)

 

 

Referee: M Barraclough

Goals: Johnson,

D Mills.

 

HT Score: 1-1

 

FT Score: 2-1

 

 

 

After an age with no football thanks to global warming and some feller called El Nino, the Baptists finally got back on the pitch eager to kick start their season after a disappointing run of results back in November. Red Lion were the visitors to the recreation ground, which was in not too bad shape considering the recent weather.

 

Battle got off to a flying start against the second placed Eastbourne side and threw everything forward, playing some quality football to boot. Chances were aplenty and Fowler and Cowley both came close, as did the Mills brothers with two brilliantly executed volleys. It was a set-piece in the end that broke the deadlock, an Owen Davies corner headed in expertly by Adam Johnson who watched eagerly as the ball slowly looped into the top corner. In reality Battle should have killed the game off long before Red Lion got themselves an equaliser, their first meaningful attack saw a clever ball played into the box and Paul Ford found himself in an unenviable position and could only divert the ball past keeper Walsh. This seemed to shake the Baptists who lost the flow that had come so easily before the goal and the game drifted to half time with the scores level.

 

The second half was started by the excellent referee, who in conjunction with his son as linesman marshalled the game brilliantly. The second half was a tough. battling affair with few chances. Red Lion had more possession but failed to create and the Baptists knew that this was a game they mustn’t let slip. Eventually the ball broke at the far post to Dave Mills who volleyed it back to goal. The rest is pure hearsay but it seemed to deflect off Mike Gould and loop over the keeper and over the line just as a Red Lion defender cleared it away.

 

The result was never in doubt from then on since despite heavy pressure from Red Lion, there was no way that Battle were going to let this one go. A great start to the new season, and a win that they will be keen to build on in the coming weeks.