Stondon 1 - 4 Real (393023185)

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 52000 at The Wreck today. Sigurd Ølholm was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Walter Kropff and Marcos Ballester Cardell. A 4-4-2 alignment was the formation of choice for Stondon. The following players took the field: Miranda Tirado - Voicu, Mark, Duque, Rivermead - Schönwetter, Hare, Baran, Bennaart - Etgar, Pin.

Real decided to use a 3-5-2 set up. Starters: Dawson - Rusk, Eaton, Singh - Sinclair, Denton, Herbert, Vokac, Lucas - Coshutt, Teglborg.

It was an obvious ambition of Stondon to use their ability at attacking on the flanks. 2 minutes into the game, P. Lucas was a hair's breadth away from giving Real the lead with a shot from over on the left. A prompt block by D. Miranda Tirado saved the home team that time. Stondon's counterattack was impressive and was only stopped by a shocking foul. Somehow, the referee's cards remained in his pocket - a terrible decision! G. Bennaart's resulting free kick was easily saved by the keeper. Some quick footwork on the left side of the field 4 minutes into the match left Real's S. Coshutt completely free to score. 0 - 1 for the visitors. After 16 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for S. Coshutt who increased Real's lead to 0 - 2. L. Rusk of Real was booked for kicking the ball away after the whistle. 0 - 2 was the score after the first half. Real enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 65 percent of possession.

With 59 minutes played, a quick exchange of passes on the left wing freed J. Teglborg of Real to slip through the defence and score another goal for the visitors. That made the score 0 - 3. B. Dawson left the field with a smile on his face as he was substituted 59 minutes into the game, as his team was in the lead. F. Muhamed was the replacement. Some fine movement on the left led to a Real goal after 68 minutes, making it 0 - 4. J. Teglborg was noted down as the scorer. By now, the players in Real felt that victory was guaranteed and began to play it safe, focusing on defence and not risking too much going forward. Stondon's G. Bennaart got himself booked for a foul. L. Rusk of Real had to be helped off the pitch as an injury meant he was unable to finish the game. K. Miholka came in to finish the match. The coach of Real was happy with the game so far, but still wanted to change the line up. After 75 minutes, D. Fasham came on for S. Coshutt. Stondon's S. Mark refused to leave the field after injuring his achilles tendon after 77 minutes. A marvellous Stondon effort on the right-hand side resulted in a goal after 85 minutes by A. Rivermead, making the score 1 - 4. Possession in this half belonged to Real, who controlled the ball 63 percent of the time.

Stondon's top performer was clearly A. Baran. However, J. Hare made a disastrous appearance. D. Fasham performed admirably for Real. K. Miholka was a disappointment, however. The match ends 1 - 4.