This was a fantastic result against one of the fancied teams in the division to give us a great start to the season and it was achieved with a strength and resilience which should stand us in good stead for the challenges ahead.  We have stressed to the players throughout pre-season the importance of these qualities to create a consistency and give us a chance of acquiring points even when not at our best. It's the difference between playing well and losing compared to not playing well and winning.

Whilst that would be a harsh assessment of our performance on Saturday, we know that we can play a lot better in possession of the ball and are capable of creating far more goal scoring opportunities. We must try to achieve this improvement with the ball without detracting from our work rate and defensive shape.

The fact that we have started in such a solid fashion is testament to the work and application of the players in the week leading up to this fixture. Our pre-season record with this group of players had read Played 7, Scored 17, Conceded 21. This was a recipe for disaster if it continued! In solving these defensive problems we probably took away some of our attacking flair and our challenge is to effectively combine these two aspects of the game in the coming weeks.

The visitors appreciated our magnificent surface more than us in the opening period as we looked ill at ease with the ball. Sam Beagle's fingertips were just enough to deny Gilman the chance of an early goal and despite dominating possession, we restricted Kirkley to pressure as opposed to clear cut chances. With almost our first sustained foray into their final third Rory McAuley won a free kick and Adam Marriott produced a sublime piece of skill to curl the ball over the wall and beyond the despairing dive of their keeper.

But with a 1-0 lead looking certain going into the interval, we committed two consecutive errors to hand the visitors their equaliser. Andy Howell allowed the ball to go under his foot and Gilman's speculative chip looked harmless but squirmed through Sam Beagle's hands as he back-pedalled.

Our reaction after the break was excellent and we started to show more belief in how we can play. Rory McAuley gave us a competitive edge in midfield, Brad Hunter held the ball up and won a succession of headers to provide a physical presence in attack, and Lewis Carr was a rock at the back. This was exactly the kind of captain's performance we hoped for in signing Lewis for a third year and his contribution was outstanding. With Andy Howell providing balance as a left footed partner, Lewis was able to play on his more natural side and showed great strength and aggression in his defending, setting the tone for the team.

It was somewhat fitting then that he should score the winner. Sam Parkinson's left footed deliveries from set plays were outstanding all afternoon but on this occasion we were able to apply the finishing touch to the near post flick on.

The way in which we saw out the match and blunted the attacking threats of our visitors was extremely pleasing. Our fitness looked good and not only did we finish the game as the physically more dominant team, we also forced Kirkley into long hopeful balls having maintained a good defensive shape throughout. In the end, they ran out of ideas and we were able to gain the points with only the odd scare.

We know that our side will get younger as injuries will inevitably take their toll at different times during the season, so it is vital we get early points on the board. Luke Berry grew in confidence as the game progressed and - having only turned 16 a couple of weeks ago - should be delighted with his debut. We now need other first years pushing the more experienced players for a place in the starting line up.

Team: Beagle, Bowe, Parkinson, Carr, Howell, McAuley, Ives, Berry, Hunter, Marriott, Patrick.

Jez George
Head of Youth Development