College christen new pitch with a deserved victory

It was a thoroughly deserved victory, too, as a first XI squad with a lot of new faces delivered a performance full of exciting promise.

There will be much bigger challenges to come for them in Men’s Division One than that posed by an understrength Casuals side on Saturday morning, but this was an impressive start.

Coach Andy Good was understandably chuffed by the display, even though he was left wondering just how the game was goalless at half-time after his side created a series of decent chances in the opening 35 minutes.

The first of those was the best of the lot.

It came in the fifth minute when Jake Taylor drove into the D on the right and delivered a pinpoint cross to the far post where Harry Ruddy seemed almost surprised to have such a terrific opportunity to open the scoring from close range and he scuffed his initial effort to give goalkeeper Louis Day just enough time to scramble across and save the second attempt brilliantly before also repelling George Le Roux’s follow-up.

EC earned a series of short-corners over the next quarter-of-an-hour that they were unable to make count and they were almost made to pay for that, but Tristan Pleasant made an important save at the other end from a rare Casuals break.

But it was the students who continued to catch the eye, with Le Roux relishing his more senior role along with Cameron Rivers-Moore, whose fellow midfielder Jack Becker excelled.

More of the same would have been Good’s message at the break and they got their reward eight minutes into the second half.

With Casuals forced into a reshuffle by Tom Nightingale’s brief sojourn to the sin bin, College capitalised on the situation by quickly getting the ball into the D and Ruddy finished to give them the lead.

Day kept it at one when he made a save from Le Roux after more good work by Taylor and moments later Casuals were level when Matt Gilligan was given time in the D to pick his spot clinically.

EC showed great maturity in response to that setback, though, and seven minutes later they forged ahead once more with Cameron Gomes firing home, having been picked out by a fine pass from Rivers-Moore.

Four minutes from time the result was put beyond doubt with an excellent team move involving Becker and Ruddy teeing up Cameron Alexander-Sloman to tuck home the third.