It was men against boys as The Ship secured their second successive win and 100% record. A confident Ship looking resplendent in their new kit found themselves up against what looked like an Under 15's side and were already licking their lips at the kick-off. However, it was the diminutive opponents that came racing out the blocks and The Ship couldn't get near them to exert their clear physical advantage. Bec United's enthusiasm was matched by good touches and an understanding that could well have stemmed from playing together as toddlers. The Ship were forced back on their heels and went 1-0 down when an excellent long pass was headed and then bundled in by an unmarked forward. The Ship, to their credit, didn't flinch and began to exert their own pressure with foraging runs by Adil, Boland and the superb Kieran. Alex, starting up front with the increasingly creaking Hurrey Snr., was working his socks off and saw himself on the end of numerous half-chances and was very unfortunate to not get his first competitive goal for his new club. Hurrey managed to swing a volley wide from a Adil cross and Kieran was pulling the strings in midfield while Digger dominated the centre of the park in his new role at centre-mid. Digger appears to have spent the summer in a Buddhist retreat, abducted by aliens or replaced by his positive and inspirational leader identical twin and he spent the latter part of the game eating 17 year olds and spitting them out. The pressure eventually told as the maurauding Kieran Cross'ed (see what I did there...?) brilliantly for the towering Kev Follon to glance in a header and nick a goal off Ollie Hurrey's nose (who managed to twist his ankle in all the excitement). 1-1 at half-time was a fair score-line but The Ship knew that by ratcheting up the pressure, a win was more than possible. Steve-o troublesome foot forced him off to be replaced by the returning Jamie Carter and the unfit, lumbering Ollie Hurrey was struggling to make an impact, even despite his Rafael Nadal knee strap (that's firmly where the comparison ends) and eventually made way for Neil Habershon. The lively Chris Boland also went off with a bad ankle and fortunately Ship veteran and casual spectator - Chris Waldron - was on hand to replace him. Hurrey's substitution of himself proved to be inspired as, almost immediately, a Kieran corner was superbly thumped in off the post by the goal-hungry Kev to give The Ship a well-deserved lead. Determined to hang on to the lead - Jamie, Pete, Kev and Ad formed a solid wall and defended superbly as the kids looked to get back in the game and after the dangerous Alex had gone close again on a couple of occasions and Neil Habershon had conspired to miss a virtual open goal (for the second week in a row I'm led to believe...) - a long punt forward found Digger who picked up the tiny remaining defender, tucked him into his sock and buried the bouncing ball from 12 yards. A hard-fought but deserved 3-1 win and 3 points left the Ship veterans struggling to remember such a positive start to the season and the Club Historian (me) can confirm it is the best start to a season since the famous double-winning debut year... You never know...
