| Date | Saturday 28 March 2015 |
| Match | Beaconsfield SYCOB v Royston Town |
| Competition | Evo-Stik League Southern: Division One Central |
| Result | Won 3-1 |
| Attendance |
69 |
| Royston Scorers | Ingrey, McDevitt, Scott Bridges |
| Crows MoM |
Scott Bridges |
Royston Town extended their unbeaten league run to an impressive nine matches, heading the current form table, and comprehensively bagged another play off chasing three points. This win lifted the Crows to third place in the league and with five games to go maintained good momentum to the coveted top five finish.
This game saw Mason Tewkesbury deputise for the unavailable Ron Yates in goal, the first of a two game ban for top scorer Kaan Fehmi, the debut of Stevenage loanee striker Fejiri Okenabirhie and the return of long time injury absentee Luke Robins for a first team run out.
It was a lively first 45 minutes from the Crows as they quickly attained match dominance and looked to turn this overall superiority into tangible goals.
The early Royston relentless pressure told and on 15 minutes Ryan Ingrey executed a fine spin turn and shot at the back post following a lobbed Gary Hart cross to take a deserved lead.
Liam McDevitt made it two seven minutes later as he rose to head a Chris Watters delivery and McDevitt’s header took a keeper defying deflection to find the net. This two goal deficit was short-lived as almost immediately Scott Bridges was adjudged to handle the ball and a penalty was awarded which Aaron Berry stepped up to power home giving Tewkesbury no real chance to stop.
Keen to redeem himself, skipper Scott Bridges took great delight in making it three on 42 minutes powering home a low accurate shot as Beaconsfield struggled to clear a corner.
There was no further scoring in the second half as the home team raised their game slightly and Royston, whilst always looking to increase their tally, couldn’t quite convert the well worked chances, but seemed content to defend their lead resolutely and compound their advantage. Jack Bradshaw replaced the ailing Ingrey at half time and the returning Luke Robins got some more valuable match time under his belt as his lengthy recuperation continues. Gus Scott-Morriss had ten minutes at the end for Ryan Wharton.
Fejiri Okenabirhie proved a nuisance to the scrabbling SYCOB defenders through-out demonstrating good strength and fitness, but knows he should have made a different choice as having done all the hard work on 88 minutes chose to shoot from a tight angle when a square pass to the waiting Watters would have sealed his decent debut performance.
Royston were good value for these three points and were sharp, creative and punishing in the first half and buoyant and controlling in their dogmatism in the second period. Good matches from both Bridges brothers and the continuingly impressive Spyros Mentis certainly helped win this game.
The Crows haven’t conceded a goal from open play for six matches and this determining factor of much tighter defending has undoubtedly helped elevate them to their current lofty standing.
Team: Tewkesbury, Wharton (Scott-Morriss), Watters, Powell, McDevitt, Bridges Scott, Bridges Stuart, Mentis, Hart (Robins), Okenabirhie, Ingrey (Bradshaw). Subs not used – Boot, Theobald.
