Vs. Magham Down II (A)
Starting XI	Substitutes:
Tim Nunn
Ben Garlick
Doug Morris	(31 Seb Elliott)
Richard Ahsam	(45 Gordon Lee)
Ian Nunn (c)	(75 Steve Mumford)
Anthony Hunter	(45 Stuart Calderwood)
Matt Lee
Rafael
Jack Hunter	(53 Joe Robinson)
Zac Smith
Josh Mullett
Referee:
Goals: Rafael (13,55,59,89), A Hunter (30), Mullett (37).
HT Score: 6-4
FT Score: 3-1

The new-look BBFC 2^nd team took to the field for the first time away at fellow Division 6 side Magham Down II.

The side, wearing the new Orange and Royal shirts, looked to make the early running and nearly took the lead in the opening minutes. Good midfield play from Rafa released Jack down the left wing and he found Zac in the middle. As the keeper came out, Zac took the ball round him and rolled it across to Josh in the middle. Josh unfortunately got underneath the ball and put it over the bar but it was an encouraging start.

Rafa then released Zac whose shot was blocked by the alert keeper before Magham had their first chance. A long goal kick was missed by the back four and Tim had to make a smart stop to keep the scores level.

Ten minutes in Doug went in strongly to break up a dangerous Magham attack and took a knock on his knee that he struggled to shake off. Straight after this the Oranges pushed forward and Rafa shot low into the corner for the opener.

Magham looked to hit back and twice shot over the bar before Tim was called upon to make two great saves in the space of two minutes.

Zac was pulled up for offside when through on goal twice in quick succession before Anthony doubled the lead on the half-hour mark. A fierce shot by Zac was parried out and Anthony rifled the ball into the roof of the net with his weaker left foot.

Doug then had to come of for Seb, his injured knee too troublesome to continue, with Seb going to left back and Ian moving inside to centre back. Ian’s fellow centre back Richard was the called upon to clear off the line as Magham looked to half the deficit.

This deficit then got bigger as Josh Mullett calmly took the ball away from the keeper and cut inside a couple of defenders before rifling home.

Magham Down got on the score-sheet just before half time when a corner was not fully cleared and a low shot came in from the edge of the area. They almost added a second before the whistle when a goalmouth scramble resulted in the ball flying over the bar. They almost paid for this adventure when Zac broke forward down the right but his shot flew narrowly wide.

At halftime two changes were made, with Stuart coming on for the impressive Anthony and Gordon coming on for Richard. More of the same was the request from the management after a highly efficient and effective team performance in the first half.

Zac had the first opportunity of the half, but his shot was easily smothered by the opposition keeper. Joe was introduced for Jack as Magham looked to get back into the game and the midfield was becoming more of a battle ground.

Rafa then put the game beyond the home side with two goals in the space of four minutes. Having been encouraged to shoot more during the halftime team talk he drilled a low effort in from twenty-five yards into the bottom corner. Minutes later Josh won a free-kick twenty yards out and the end result was never in doubt as Rafa curled it in with consummate ease.

In between those goals Joe found a good position on the edge of the area but his curling effort was too close to the keeper. Rafa was at it again though when he waltzed through the Magham defence and chipped the ball over the on-rushing keeper. A home defender just managed to get back and head the ball off the line though and from the resulting corner Matt fired a shot over the bar.

Zac then went on tow great runs, one ended with his cross just over the head of Josh and the other with the ball just beating him to the by-line. Matt then went past two players in midfield and shot just wide as the side in Orange where in complete control.

The opposition then made a triple substitution and brought some fresh attackers on, while Steve came on for a tiring Ian. Almost immediately a shot from distance slipped past Tim to claw one back. It then got very nervous as two further goals in the next five minutes brought the score back to 5-4. First a good run and shot needed a great low save from Tim, however the first person to follow up was a Magham layer and he blasted the ball home. Then a surge into the box saw the Magham player look for a penalty as he lost control of the ball. This he got when he was tackled by Tim. A confident kick was dispatched low into the corner.

The home side then had renewed belief that they could get a draw out of the game as there were still 5 minutes remaining. However Rafa put this beyond them by stroking home another free kick into the bottom corner in the last minute.

This was a superb performance that contributed to a very entertaining game. The scoreline was close at the end but the Oranges were deserved victors and could have scored more were it not for some alert goalkeeping that denied numerous opportunities for the away team. Obviously Rafa’s four goals were a highlight of the game, as was the endless and selfless running of Zac to create space for his fellow attackers, but for me what stood out was the work ethic and spirit that ran throughout the whole side. I felt proud to manage such a great bunch of lads in our first ever game and I cannot wait for the season to start in earnest in two weeks.

Well done to all involved!