| Date | Saturday 15 October 2016 |
| Match | Petersfield Town v Royston Town |
| Competition | Evostik League Southern: Division One Central |
| Result | Won 1-0 |
| Attendance |
56 |
| Royston Scorers | Frendo |
| Crows MoM |
Josh Castiglione |
Royston Town travelled down early to prepare for this potentially tricky fixture against a Petersfield Town side languishing towards the bottom of the table with the Crows keen to extend their good run and stay top of the table.
Kaan Fehmi came back into the starting line up and we saw Frazer John, a new signing from Hoddesdon Town, on the bench.
The pitch was terrible. An undulating pock marked battlefield that would not aid the Crows quick passing game and would certainly threaten to be a game leveller.
With the sun shining the match started with Royston threatening early scores as Josh Castiglione and John Frendo combined well with early efforts on the Petersfield goal. On 13 minutes had a big shout for penalty waved away by a poorly positioned referee and Frendo was cautioned for his input.
The solitary match goal came in the 23 minutes we saw Fehmi create some space on the left and pop up a controlled lob cross that Frendo left the floor to nod in unchallenged. 0-1.
The poor pitch and Petersfield determination, together with an over fussy referee, combined to spoil the Crows forward play and a cancelling out period of the game ensued with the only other real chances on goal saw a Scott Bridges free kick flicked over by Frendo and a hobbled Fehmi shot just wide. Fehmi failed to run off his knock and we saw Frazer John come on at left wing to make his debut for the Crows on 44 minutes.
The visitors were slow out of the dressing room in the second half and the hosts had their best period of play threatening an early half equaliser but the Crows settled and snuffed out this home team hope.
The weather deteriorated making the ball even more impossible to control by most, but we saw the ball skills by Castiglione make him stand out with him bamboozling his marker often and skilfully manipulating the ball past his man and into dangerous areas – but not always where striker Frendo wanted it.
The hour mark substitutions saw Luke Warner-Eley replace Dan Brathwaite like for like and Spyros Mentis got a run out for the pitch whipped Martel Powell allowing Scott Bridges to shift forward slightly.
The Crows continued to press forward and defend high and another goal seemed likely and needed but the home side keeper did well and the poor surface helped keep the score at one-nil.
Steve Castle called this an “ugly win” and it was certainly not a festival of football but at the end of the season the Crows will look back on this result as a hard earned and important three points on the road.
Team: Welch, Scott-Morriss, Brathwaite (Warner-Eley), Bridges Sco, Murray, Bridges Stu, Fehmi (John), Towner, Frendo, Powell (Mentis), Castiglione. Subs not used – Thomas, Frater.
