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Opening day joy for the Edge

Opening day joy for the Edge

Jamie Dunne9 Sep 2019 - 15:39
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First game

Watersedge Park kicked off the new 2019/20 campaign with an emphatic win away to AC Copnor coming away 4-0 winners.

The fixture mirrored that of the 2017/18 season when both sides met in the opening fixture with a closely fought contest ending up with both teams taking a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw.

Despite a tight and nervous start to the latest meeting between the two sides it was a deep cross-come-shot from returning full back Michael Benfield which broke the deadlock in the 34th minute. Benfield who had mainly operated in the centre of midfield throughout pre season got the nod at right back in a newly designed back four which also consisted of youngster Wes Street at Left Back and the strong partnership of Lewis Marsden and Neal Till as the two centre halves who had enjoyed a well earned clean sheet in the club's final pre season game at home to Horndean Utd. It was clear from early on that despite AC Copnor opting for a two man attack the Watersedge defence including Danny Udy in goal were very much determined to keep a second consecutive clean sheet.

Other than a clear and obvious offside decision which ruled out a speculative overhead kick the home side barely troubled Udy in the Watersedge goal, who's contribution to the game mainly consisted of organising his defence and a few routine catches.

Nonetheless, AC Copnor remained in the match up until the 76th minute when substitute Michael Anslow produced a moment of brilliance coming in from the right flank to turn his defender inside out before firing a right footed rocket into the top corner. Anslow who was part of a strengthened substitutes bench pretty much put to bed all hope of an AC Copnor revival.

It was the Watersedge substitute bench which secured all three points for the away side with Player/Manager Jamie Dunne scoring his first goal since October 2016 to make it 3-0 in the 80th minute after coming on in Midfield. Dunne received the ball on the edge of the box after a corner was cleared, taking a touch before rifling a right footed shot into the far corner leaving the keeper with little chance.

Veteran Paul Squibb, another of Watersedge's substitutes inflicted further misery on the home side in the 85th minute with a superb looping header which again left the keeper picking the ball out of his net. Squibb who is one of the club's all time top goalscorers rose highest following another great cross from full back Benfield to put the game to bed and give the Edge those vital 3 opening day points.

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