Soham Suffer Opening Day Defeat

Following a mixed pre-season, and with some players unavailable, the visitors named seven debutants within their starting eleven for the game, with Dave Theobald being named as Captain.

Soham started the game on the attack with Swinton curling an early effort at the keeper. The midfielder also had another opportunity soon after but placed straight at Seal, whilst at the other end Worrell and Radley both fired over from distance. After twenty minute Cleaver delivered a ball into the area from the left with Nash placing narrowly wide of the far post, before the pair reversed rolls again a minute later with Nash flicking Cleaver’s ball past Reynolds, only to see it come back off the foot of the post. Rovers opened the scoring in the 26th minute when Tom Ranger was given room to make an angled run through the Soham box before placing his shot under Reynolds. There were limited chances in the remainder of the half, with the hosts going in at the break with a narrow one goal lead.

Soham made a bright start to the second half and after putting over with an early header, Sharman had an effort from Nightingale’s corner cleared off the line, whilst up the other end Radley put wide from outside of the area. As the game continued, the visitors continued to have the better of the attacking play, but some solid Rovers defending was restricting Soham to long shots with Swinton placing low and wide from Archer’s layoff. Both sides made tactical changes with Wakering pushing further forward as the game progressed with Sparrow receiving a diagonal freekick at the back post with ten minutes remaining, only to fire well over, before Nash headed Kent’s freekick straight at Reynolds. But five minutes into stoppage time, Rovers made sure of the three points by scoring their second of the game when Ranger made his way down the right to deliver the ball into the middle of the area, where Billy Radley rose to head over Reynolds into the far corner.

Soham Town Rangers
H. Reynolds, M. Hall, D. Easlea, D. Theobald, J. Gent, R. Nightingale, R. Sharman, S. Swinton (J. Baker 66), J. Townshend (M. Simpson 72), L. Stanley, D. Archer
Unused: Ch. Russell, W. Goddard, J. McCabe

Great Wakering Rovers
A. Seal, J. Pugsley, M. Kent, JJ. Slater (E. Sands 66), L. Sparrow, S. Hepburn, T. Ranger, B. Radley, J. Cleaver (B. Johnson 80), J. Nash, E. Worrell
Unused: B. Vaughan, T. Strickland, D. Trenkel

Score: (1-0) 2-0

Goals
STRFC: None
GWRFC: T. Ranger (26), B. Radley (90+5)

Yellow Cards
STRFC: S. Swinton (Delaying restart 59), J. Gent (Foul 65), R. Nightingale (Foul 78), D. Archer (Foul 84)
GWRFC: M. Kent (Unsporting behaviour 59), B. Radley (Foul 62)

Attendance: 114