Thaxted Rangers Yellows 3 : 7 Arlesey Town Sky

The first game of 2020, a League Cup group fixture, saw the Yellows comfortably beaten by a team in the division above. The Yellows opened the scoring in spectacular fashion, though. Henry’s 35 yard piledriver will take some beating for goal of season, and it’s only the first week of January!

Unfortunately, by the half hour mark the visitors had already scored three goals, pouncing on our failure to clear our lines and enjoying too much room on the edge of the box. Lewis’s tap in just before the break meant hopes were high for an exciting second half and, indeed, it could hardly have started in a more emphatic manner.

Matty found the net, straight from the kick off, in what the referee described as the fastest goal he’d ever seen: under 10 seconds!

This was the last time the Yellows would trouble the scorer, alas. As legs tired the Yellows lost their shape, particularly at the back where Arlesey’s muscular attackers were constantly played onside by our failure to move beyond our own six yard box for long periods.

Despite a number of excellent saves from Ben and some typically hard-working runs from Matty upfront, an Arlesey victory was never really in doubt once the fifth goal was conceded.