M1 Run Out Of Time

The men's first XI put in a spirited display to opens the season but came away empty handed and will feel like they deserved something from their five hour round trip to Wisbech.

After promotion last season, Crostyx got off to the worst possible start when Eli Wallich upended a Wisbech forward with the resulting penalty flick ruthlessly placed into the top netting. Wisbech continued to allow Crostyx the ball at the back and the purple visitors started to create openings at more regular intervals. Just shy of half-time an incisive ball from Billy Gibbon to James Buckingham allowed the latter to spin quickly on his reverse to find the bottom corner of the goal.

Crostyx impressive play continued into the second half and found themselves in front when Gibbon this time around found Hamish Campbell, whose bobbling shot wrong footed the keeper to slide into the bottom left.

Mistakes and carelessness opened the door for Wisbech to get back into the game with 15 minutes left, as they scored on the counter attack to make it 2 -2 and then converted a short corner strike which Roberto Harrison was unable to keep out of the left post; a few questions were asked from the purple ranks over the height of the strike but their usual gentlemanly conduct shied away from a formal protest.

Now losing again Crostyx stepped up the intensity in pursuit of an equaliser that their play had deserved. Harry Marshall went close twice before hitting the post and with time running low Styx thought they had found an equaliser only for the umpire to deny them by deflecting the ball off the line at the back post with Ali O'Malley waiting for the simplest of tap ins.