| Date | Saturday 17 October 2015 |
| Match | Royston Town v Fleet Town |
| Competition | Evostik League Southern: Division One Central |
| Result | Won 4-0 |
| Attendance |
229 |
| Royston Scorers | Fehmi, Bradshaw, Brathwaite, Scott Bridges |
| Crows MoM |
Jack Bradshaw |
Following the two games seen in the last week there can be no doubt that Royston Town and Steve Castle are serious about their league campaign this season as the shift in quality from Tuesday’s taciturn cup showing to today’s concentrated league performance was extreme.
Fleet Town made the longish journey north, missing a few players, and encountered a Royston Town team keen to impress the decent sized family orientated crowd assembled to help celebrate 140 years of the Crows and hopefully witness a match day win.
Royston themselves were without two first choice players with Rob Mason serving a one match suspension and Stuart Bridges pulling up in the warm up with a troublesome calf injury.
The match started with an early run and shot from Rhys Hoenes, immediately forcing Fleet Town back on their heels, and the following minutes were mainly the Blues scrambling frantically to thwart Royston’s lightning advances, however the match momentum was hampered by over fussy refereeing that frustrated both sides and the crowd alike.
Fleet’s resistance was breached when on 16 minutes, right back Danny May swung over a good left side corner and prodigal son Kaan Fehmi found just enough space to get his head to it and his determination forced the ball in, much to his own and the enthusiastic crowd’s delight. 1-0.
With Crows’ keeper Ron Yates barely tested his opposite number in the Blues goal, Ryan Pryce’s day got busy and Royston’s movement and buoyant creativity produced credible chances, notably from the rambunctious Ryan Ingrey and from Jack Bradshaw who was enjoying his late transition to midfield with a man of the match performance, but Pryce produced a string of impressive saves that ensured no further scores up to half time.
The second half saw the Crows shift up at least two gears and the overall home side momentum also shifted to total game dominance and despite Pryce’s stalwart resistance the visitors had no tangible answers, apart from mainly desperate and sometimes unlawful defending, Royston created and converted three more scores.
On 66 minutes Fehmi’s first team home game return was curtailed being replaced by Chris Watters and on seventy minutes Hoenes found himself well placed within the six yard box and was adjudged to be fouled before he could unleash a shot – Jack White left the field after being shown a straight red card for the challenge. Despite normal penalty taker Watters being on the pitch skipper Scott Bridges took the spot kick and Pryce made a full length diving save left to push the effort around the post.
Two minutes later and Watters’ prowess with dead ball delivery was evident as he delivered a free kick centrally and Bradshaw acrobatically left the ground laterally and struck a right foot pure volley spectacularly into the crowded goal. 2-0. Luke Robins joined the fray replacing Ingrey and his first action was a sharp spin and curling effort that went just wide.
On 79 minutes Watters again delivered with a dangerous free kick and this time full back Dan Brathwaite ran in diagonally and got on the end of it placing an accurate side foot volley past Pryce and his defenders into the side of the goal. 3-0.
Castle’s final substitution brought Josh Castiglione on for Hoenes, meaning the front three had all been changed during the game under-lining the Crows’ enviable riches in attack minded players.
A crowd pleasing fourth goal was scored in the 91st minute as Ryan Towner produced an excellent low pass that split the beleaguered defenders perfectly and Scott Bridges ran on, shifting the ball right and struck a low shot goal-ward seeing Pryce’s half touch deflect the ball past the covering defender’s attempt to block. 4-0.
The next three league games will be sterner tests with a long journey to Godalming Town, a home match against Aylesbury FC and a tricky away game against in form Egham Town, all with unbeaten AFC Rushden & Diamonds lurking with helpful games in hand. There are interesting season defining games ahead and this is a time for Royston Town heroes and we shoot for the stars.
Team: Yates, May, Brathwaite, Bradshaw, McDevitt, Bridges Scott, Powell, Towner, Hoenes (Castiglione), Fehmi (Watters), Ingrey (Robins).
Subs not used – Ryan, Scott-Morriss.
