Chesthunt 1 XI (7) - (3) Royston M1 XI

Royston travelled to Cheshunt seeking to make amends for the reverse fixture in the first half of this season in which they saw a dismal display rightfully punished by Cheshunts aerial prowess.

Cheshunt started the better and looked much fitter than Royston from the off, scoring twice in the opening 15 minutes as Royston struggled to get into the match or get to grips with the opposing number 9. The second phase of the game was more promising for Royston, as they created a variety of goalscoring opportunities before a shot was kicked off the line by a Cheshunt defender... Long corner given... With a bit between their teeth, Royston turned their frustration into a fantastically worked moved which saw Oliver Garratt smash home to put Royston back into the game.

Unfortunately for Royston, the final phase of the half was more the like the former than the latter. Cheshunt once again turned on the heat and put another 2 well worked goals away. Oliver 'Chad' Jones picking up a green in the process for a late tackle from behind and Miles 'Beach Muscles' Jackson suffering from a wardrobe malfunction.

Royston regrouped well at the half and came out of the blocks stirring. Looking to make a quick start, Royston re-focussed their press and caught the Cheshunt defence napping. The ball was won in the middle of the park and the Royston overload was able to once again force a shot into a defenders foot on the line... This time Royston were rightfully awarded for their efforts and James 'Moose' Biddlecombe stepped up to dispatch the penalty flick straight down the middle, sending the keeper packing.

Déjà vu minutes later as a similar repeat saw Royston once again awarded a penalty flick for the same offence. The Moose stepping up once more to do the business for Royston, this time shotgunning the ball over the keepers shoulder to the left of the goal. Clinical.

With the score at 4-3 the game could have gone either way until the Cheshunt number 9 once again stole away to restore the 2 goal cushion for Cheshunt, rattling Royston in the process. Jacob 'Pillock' Gourd then saw yellow for a clumsy challenge through an opponents foot, sending him flying... This was mere seconds after being spoken to by the umpire after an array of potentially life threatening challenges.

With the Royston rhythm truly disrupted, the cracks began to show as they were pushed aside by a convincing Cheshunt performance who made the score a resounding 7-3 before John 'Princess' Gourd finally got his moment in the limelight. Embarrassing the opposition Skipper with a smug save from a penalty flick at the death.

An open and entertaining game, Royston were second best on the day and on the scoreline. At least we won 2-0 on flicks.

MotM - Oliver 'Chad' Jones for successfully nullifying the opposition's aerial threat.
DotD - David 'Can't Read a Postcode' Evans for some village navigational skills.