This was an eagerly anticipated fixture; the same game last season produced a crushing 10 – 2 win in favour of St Felix and so we were keen to give a better account of ourselves this year. That said, a number of key players were rested to enable the coach to get a better view of the talent base in advance of next season.
It was therefore somewhat frustrating to arrive with a large development squad and yet only face a bare seven St Felix players. The solution was to switch to a small-sided pitch and play 7-a-side with plenty of rotation. St Felix set the early pace and took the lead with a well-taken goal; it would have been more of an advantage had Will Jennings not made a string of reaction saves at close range to keep us in the game. Steadily we fought our way back and after a string of good chances we eventually drew level and then went into the lead with two very accomplished finishes from budding young striker Harry Field.
In the second half we were determined to play a shorter brand of football than either side had managed in the first half; it paid handsome dividends. Goals from Henry Bange, Joe Farrall, Seb Lamb and two from the imposing Chisom Oguamanam secured a convincing second half performance and an overall 7–2 victory. The boys on show will make up the heart of the first team for next year and things are really looking up for Woodbridge football.
