Playing on Timperley's astro against a newly combined team made up of the best Stockport and Norbury players this was always going to be a tough test.
The game started badly and went downhill from there. With two quick goals from our opponents we quickly realised that these boys were a well organised outfit and cannot be taken lightly for the coming season. Our defence played well with Nick Josh and Rory all doing a good job but with clever low shots from outside the zone there was nothing Will could do to stop them sneaking in. Up front we struggled to pass the ball confidently and the lack of direction for our midi's and attackers from the side-lines was a key factor in the team grinding to a halt once over the half way line. The whistle didn't seem to go in our favour either with midfielder Daniel Jones spending a fair chunk of the game side-lined serving penalties for some questionable decisions. In the second half things improved slightly with Joe, Drew and Josh linking up and a great goal from Ben Tipping but as with the short game Mellor ran out of time. The end result Mellor 2 Stockport/Norbury 6 which had it not been for a number of great saves by Will could have been a lot worse.

Big thanks to to Oli Rogerson for stepping in and coaching the boys today.