Hartley Wintney won their opening day of the season in the last minute of the match, as they left Short Lane with all 3 points.

Combined Counties League Div 1, 6th August 2011
Report by Roving Joe
In a very close contested match, Staines Lammas lost their opening game of the season in the 93rd minute, when a last minute mistake let Hartley Wintney leave with all 3 points.

Hartley Wintney looked comfortable from the outset, with Staines bypassing their own midfield by playing the long ball from the back, which landed like a homing missile on the head of league debutant Daryl Bloxham. The central midfield combination of Williams, Thorne and the hard-working Kingston proved to be incredibly successful, and with the young Jack Coventry providing natural width as he was granted with a free role.

Staines never troubled commanding goalkeeper Lee Allen, who had very little to do all game. The well organised Staines side never looked liked scoring. However, what they lacked up front they certainly made up for in resilience and determination not to concede. Staines were incredibly difficult to break down, and a number of chances went narrowly wide. Jack Coventry and Dean Peltohaka each had an opportunity to put the visitors one up, however both were blocked by the impressive Staines keeper. The teams went in level on goals, but with Hartley certainly in the driving seat.

Half Time 0-0

In truth, Neville Roach's men should have been out of sight by the start of the second half but they could not make the most of their vastly superior possession. Hartley started as they finished, with a number of chances being created, but found it very difficult to find the final ball. With an incredibly strong bench, Hartley manager Neville Roach changed things around, bringing on Ben Dillon (for Dean Peltohaka) and Daniel Brownlie (for Jack Coventry) who was a threat down the right hand side. His changes brought almost instant dividends, with Hartley pouring forward following the substitutions. Brownlie's first touch was a whipped in ball for Dillon; frustratingly the ball flew agonisingly past the debutant striker.

Hartley held firm and continued to threaten to take the lead and suddenly looked like scoring. An impressive move down the right-hand side led to Ryan Stephens going through on goal, and once again the Staines keeper blocked with his legs. With time running out, Staines looked to be happy with the point and "shut up shop". Then, in the dying seconds of the game, a mistake coming from some hesitant Staines defending led to an opportunity as the home side were caught in possession just inside the box. Ryan Stephens landed the ball and was twice brought down in the box, but managed to stay on his feet and neatly finished with a goal from an incredibly tight angle.

The new back line looked impressive, with two equally gifted replacements available from the bench - last year's stalwart Ollie Bridges, and newly signed Luke Pearson. Along with the ever dependable Nathan Stamp, new signing, Andrew Newcombe looks a very rounded player.

The attitude of the players was fantastic, and the reaction when the goal was scored demonstrated the enthusiasm and effort that all the boys put in. A well deserved victory and an excellent start to the season. Also impressive was the quality of the players on the bench, with plenty of opportunities to change the dimensions of the team.

Squad: Allen, Newcombe, Bloxham, Patterson, Stamp, Thorne, Williams, Kingston, Coventry (Brownlie), Peltohaka (Dillon), Stephens.
Subs not used: Luke Pearson, Ollie Bridges