Great Win To Start Season

AFC Sudbury, with five summer signings starting and three more on the bench, got the new season off in fine style on Saturday with a comfortable win against the relegated Kent side who had a player sent off midway through the first half.

With manager David Batch unavailable head coach Steve Eastaugh took charge. Influential striker James Baker was sidelined with an injury received in the last pre-season friendly and wide player Kris Newby was serving the first of a three-match ban carried over from last season when he was a Witham Town player. This resulted in Ollie Hughes getting the nod to lead the line and Payton Swatman starting.

Both made considerable contributions in a fine team performance from an entertaining game watched by a sparse crowd of 107 which would have been a lot less but for the many AFC travelling supporters.

There was little between the teams early on but Cray’s danger man Shaun Welford hit a post with an angled shot and visiting keeper Alex Archer tipped a free kick over before Sudbury broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after 24 minutes.

Sudbury always looked dangerous on the counter attack and Hughes broke into the Cray box only to be fouled by last defender Steve Springett. He was red carded after lengthy treatment and Jake Reed fired the resulting spot kick into the roof of the net.

From then on it was virtually one way traffic on the Cray goal and AFC doubled their lead after 35 minutes with a super strike from skipper Sam Clarke following a fine move down the right which had been started after defender Ryan Henshaw had made a great blocking tackle.

Henshaw then had a header from a corner cleared off the line and Hughes missed the target from a one-on-one with the Cray keeper before the visitors increased their lead six minutes into the second half from the move of the match which ended with Payton Swatman heading into the corner of the net from Michael Shinn’s cross.

Shinn (pictured)made it 4-0 after 64 minutes when he tapped home after an effort had been blocked and he sealed a comfortable Sudbury victory with his second direct from a free with eight minutes left.

Sudbury squandered other chances before Cray scored a last minute consolation goal when the hard working Welford rounded Archer following a defensive lapse.

Att 107

Pat Arbon