A trip to the coast and Caister threw up all sorts of challenges with whether to go along the Acle Straight or via Filby being the main topic of discussion. The general consensus was via Filby and it proved to be a better decision than winning the toss and playing into the gale force wind.
A much changed side saw more introductions in the team huddle with only the combination of Peck and Taylor upfront being the only part of the team that was the same as last week.
Cringleford got off to a shocking start and found themselves 1-0 down after just two minutes when Seamus, sporting his plimsolls, was caught in possession dribbling out of defence and the Caister centre-forward clinically punished him.
Caister had a strong side and some very tidy players and continued to dominate with Cringleford struggling to get a foothold in the game. The Caister fan(s) must have anticipated an easy win at this point, but Cringleford are made of sterner stuff and started to get a foothold in the game. There were some excellent inter-changes between Goude and Johnson down the right with both players having a cracking first half and being involved in Cringleford's best moves. Paul Kemp debuting in mid-field justified his selection with a solid performance alongside Ginge with the two of them consistently regaining possession and being involved in most of Cringleford's forays into the opposition half.
The best chance of the half fell to Peck after a great inter-change with Goude found him with a great goal-scoring opportunity only to see his shot smartly saved by the Caister keeper.
Half-time 0-1
The weather improved in the second half and so did Cringleford's attacks. This time the combination of Potter (on-loan from the first team) and Sharred (on-loan from the old people's home) linked together well to cause the Caister defence trouble. Despite this, Cringleford failed to create any clear-cut chances and were punished when Shaul was caught the wrong side of the Caister forward and could only watch as he shot past Alan to make it 2-0.
Caister continued to push forward and shook the Cringleford crossbar when their defender headed strongly against the woodwork. Cringleford regrouped and good Peck latched onto a great through ball to fire past the Caister keeper and make it 2-1 with 15 minutes to go.
Cringleford threw caution to wind and nearly regretted it when Shaul missed his opportunity to clear the ball and he gratefully saw Flether save spectacularly. There was time for one last opportunity as Kemp controlled the ball and looped a shot from 25 yards out against the Caister bar with their keeper no where to be seen.
Unfortunately that was the closest Cringleford came to an equaliser and despite keeping Caister under pressure for the remainder of the game the final whistle went signalling a second defeat. But there were some very encouraging signs, Cringleford had gone toe-to-toe with an extremely tidy Caister side and I am confident if they continue to perform like that they will do well for the rest of the season. And besides who wants to get to the second round of the Cup when realistically you stand more chance of a cup run in the Shield!
Opposition MOTM was given to Dave Sharred for making a tit of himself when he mis-kicked the ball and ended up in a heap on the floor.
