MATCH REPORT: FRENCHES ATHETIC

IMAGE: WILL HUGALL

Rotherfield welcomed league flyers Frenches Athletic on Saturday. With a very strong squad, the Greens stood up to the task of facing a side to have only lost one game so far.

The hosts got off to a perfect start making use of Ross Treleaven's missile throw in, deep into the Frenches half. With just 2 minutes gone, debutant George Fyffe flicks his header over the Frenches keeper and in the bottom far corner.

Frenches Athletic did almost come back with a reply soon after when a Frenches forward manged to get through the Rotherfield lines and get a shot away, but keeper Rob Davies was equal to it by saving to his left and getting the ball to clip the post and go wide.

Twenty fives minutes in, a touch of déjà vu happened. A throw in was awarded in a similar position to the previous. Treleaven wound up another long throw which torpedoed beyond the far post for Sinclair to head across goal and for Jack Turner to nod in to double the lead.

The remainder of the half, Rotherfield rode out the the storm, with numbers behind the ball and being marshalled well by Turner, Ridley, and skipper Saunders. Despite Frenches dominance in possession, they produced little threat at goal.

The second half started as the first half ended with the visitors having lots of the ball. Just past the hour mark, Frenches halved the deficit with good approach play and a good finish into the bottom corner.

Quarter of an hour later, half time substitute George Boynton scored to make it 3-1 and scoring in two consecutive fixtures.

Frenches did get a second from the penalty mark as Rob Davies brought down the advancing forward in the box.

But with five minutes of normal time remaining, Dan Gray secures Rotherfield's third win in a row by clipping a ball over the keeper to make the final score 4-2.

Squad: Davies, Russell, Turner, Ridley, Kent, Sinclair, Saunders, Peevor, Spampanato, Fyffe, Treleaven.

Subs: Boynton, Dunn, Gray, Kerslake, Watts (unused).