9.30 kick off. Captain for the match was Harry.
First Half
First match of the year after a long Christmas break which was evident by the sluggish start which Elstead quickly capitalised on and scored a goal within the first few minutes. Cranleigh seemed to rally around for the next 10 minutes and we saw some strong play from both teams culminating in a great goal from Harry assisted by Jack.
Elstead immediately came back at the boys and a shot from 20 yards out which hit the cross bar, rebounded back to Elstead who took another attempt on goal only for David complete an impressive save. Elstead continued to pile the pressure on winning a corner which resulted in a second goal 2:1 to Elstead.
Cranleigh got a better run of the next few minutes and seemed to dominate possession resulting in Harry scoring a second goal 15 yards out. This was quickly followed by another goal from Oscar making the score 3:2 to Cranlaigh and hence turning the fortune of the game
A good passage of play with some strong passing around the team. Clearly a new skill developed by the coaching team eventually resulting in a run down the left, which was passed into the area for Oscar to finish it off for our 4th goal. 4:2
The final goal of the half started with a strong tackle from Leo and a superb pass to Oscar who moved the ball onto Harry who finished it off for his hat-trick. The first half ended 5:2.
Second Half
4 substitutes at the start of the half gave a respite to some.
The second half started with a more even game with Elstead pushing into our area and the inevitable pressure gave way to a goal after 5 minutes. 5:3
15 minutes in and James was called off the bench or more realistically in from the nearby playground!!
The teams seemed to be better matched and Cranleigh continued with their passing game sometimes at the expense of ‘just going for it’ and taking a shot of goal. However, in the 20th minute a goal kick was interrupted by Bertie who quickly finished it off making the score 6:3. Elsteads heads were down and another great goal came from Bertie making the final score 7:3.
A great win for Cranleigh putting us top of the league.
