Old Loughtonians M1s got their season underway in front of a vocal crowd at Sugden Road on Saturday night under the lights, facing Surbiton 2s . A new-look Loughts squad took to the pitch, with four debutants and three returning players back from university, all buoyed by a long and successful pre-season. The boys were raring to go, and it showed from the start as Loughts dominated possession. Despite the pressure, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with neither side earning a short corner throughout a cagey first half.

The second half opened up considerably, with Surbiton posing a threat on the counter-attack. However, Loughts looked to have secured all three points in the 66th minute with a fantastic counter-attacking move. Following a solid clearance from Dom Dixon, Mark Loughrey, Connor Greentree and Harvey Edwards combined brilliantly to set up youngster Tommy Goldsmith, who marked his M1 debut in style with a diving deflection to put Loughts ahead. Unfortunately, the lead lasted only a couple of minutes, with Surbiton converting from a short corner to bring the scores level and the points were ultimately shared. A frustrating result after a positive performance, but plenty of encouragement to take from the opening fixture. Next up is a trip to Sevenoaks, where Loughts will be looking to build on the opener in what is traditionally a high-scoring thriller.