It was a beautiful evening at Luxborough Lane for the Men’s 1s first home game of the season. After two draws in their opening two games the boys were hopeful of a positive result to truly kickstart their campaign in front of a strong crowd.

And boy oh boy were the crowd in for a cracker. The team were fast out of the blocks and after some good work from Tom Watson down the left hand side, Max Sydenham was on hand at the back post to deflect it in. Only a couple of minutes later the ball fell to Archie Winter on the penalty spot who calmly slotted home. 2-0 inside the first 5 minutes and Guildford didn’t know what had hit them.

The remaining 30 minutes of the first half was a fairly even contest. Possession was shared and both teams had chances drawing good saves from both the Guildford keeper and Loughts Colt, Freddie Goddard, between the sticks.

It was the second half, however, where the team’s quality really showed. Only three minutes into the 3rd quarter Tommy Goldsmith was on hand to bundle the ball home on his home debut for the team. 10 minutes later Goldsmith picked up the ball again and found an opening at the top of the D after some silky hands. A deadly backhand finish into the bottom corner left the keeper without a chance. Just before the end of the 3rd quarter Watson set up Sydenham again who rifled the ball home through the keeper’s legs.

The message from the coaching staff ahead of the fourth quarter was to ensure Guildford didn’t get on the score sheet. Not only were the team able to do that, but they also managed to nick a few more at the other end. Goldsmith was in the right place at the right time again in the 56th minute to complete his hat trick, and after a questionable celebration the boys were lining up for yet another push back, hungry for more. The boys smelt blood and everyone wanted a piece of it. Soon after Greentree stole the ball off the last defender and was through on goal before being taken down by the goalkeeper resulting in a penalty stroke being awarded. Harvey Edwards was able to send the keeper the wrong way and open his account for the season. After only another couple of minutes Mark Loughrey blasted a drag flick into the roof of the net. With just 4 minutes to go, and after some good work from Matt Symmonds in the circle, Archie Winter was on hand yet again to put the ball in the back of the net to make it 9-0. Yes, 9…

The Guildford crew were soon put out of their misery and the full time whistle went. What a way for the team to get off the mark at home. 9 goals, a clean sheet, a debut hat trick & 5 different scorers. Plenty for the fans and the players to enjoy. Next week the team are on the road again up against Hampstead & Westminster 2s at the Paddington Recreation Ground on Saturday at 2pm. Any support is hugely welcomed.