On a rather dank afternoon, the 2s took on Monmouth for their first fixture of the season. Having not been able to make the trip the Bristol for the QEH fixture, the team were keen to get going against their Welsh opponents. Having trained effectively in the week, confidence was high, so too the spirit in the squad.

Kicking off having won the toss, captain Max N began to dominate the attack, ably supported by the highly effective duo of Ollie M and Wilf T. Both these players elegantly moved the ball around the park, allowing Charlie H on the right wing, and James E on the left, plenty of opportunity to get forward. A rather frantic start to the game saw the Monmouth players competing for possession with some robust challenges, but Sherborne gave as good as they got and were soon in the lead.

Playing a diamond formation, Monmouth could not cope with Sherborne’s relentless attacking, and Will F calmly slotted home after great work on the left from Freddie CC. He created the opportunity that the Monmouth keeper could only parry Max N's shot into Will’s path for a tap in. Ten minutes later, another cool finish from Will doubled the Sherborne advantage after some lovely play from Ollie M’s quick feet. The game settled into a rhythm of midfield attrition for ten minutes as both teams pressed for goals. Both sides were guilty of missing opportunities by drifting offside, but the defences held firm. Barney H and Oscar W were solid in the middle of the back four, with Piers L and Freddie CC providing attacking, as well as solid defensive duties as wing backs. Indeed, both Freddie and Piers were a constant threat, linking up well with their respective wingers, providing James E and Charlie H with opportunities to attack. With a reshuffle halfway through the half, the subs proved to be highly effective. Charlie T was strong and moved the ball intelligently, James K equally so and was the constant threat that a natural left footed player provides. Harry S picked up where Charlie H had left off and was a real threat on the right. Ned J linked the play and has languid stride got the attacks going quickly. This threat concluded with a long-range effort that dipped over the Monmouth stopper to make it 3-0 on 33 minutes. A penalty, stroked home by Will F for his hattrick concluded the half with Sherborne comfortably 4-0 up.

After a quick turnaround, Sherborne found themselves on the front foot straight away. An early corner from Harry S saw Max N thunder in a header, to ram home the advantage early in the second half. Six came shortly after, with more good link up play seeing a charging Freddie CC slot home from close range. This was another polished finish, from a confident side. Will F finished off his afternoon with his fourth, a very polished finish from a Sherborne counterattack. Sherborne didn’t have it all their own way. Despite being down to 10 men due to an injury, Monmouth pressed and got forward as well as they could when they had the ball. A corner resulted in a tidy finish to make it 7-1. However, Sherborne decided that 7 goals weren’t enough and Max N finished off the scoring to make it 8-1 with a lovely finish from the edge of the box.

A few more opportunities came Sherborne’s way and the game ebbed and flowed but Sherborne were never really threatened further. Casper G, making his Sherborne debut between the posts, had a quiet afternoon, although when called upon, was solid and secure and distributed the ball quickly. The reintroduction of Ollie M and Wilf T, alongside Piers L and Charlie H added fresh legs and drive and despite hitting the post and coming close on several occasions, Sherborne saw out the game 8-1.

This was a very cohesive performance from the team. They moved the ball around effectively, were strong in defence and dominated the midfield. They were well led by Max N, and Barney H marshalled the defence. Communication was excellent throughout, with the boy’s taking responsibility for their performances, linking the play as well as transitioning well between defence and attack. Well done on an excellent start to the season.