15th August 2023
Royston Town vs Stamford AFC @ Garden Walk - Royston
Southern League Premier Division Central (Step 3)
19:45 KO
£12 entry
Attendance - 333
Half-time score: Royston Town 0-0 Stamford AFC
Goals:
Stamford AFC: Morgan - 68'
Royston Town: Akintunde - 85'
Final Score: Royston Town 1-1 Stamford AFC
Finding myself working late again in Cambridge, I decided to make the most of this and go see a new club, and the pick of the fixtures for me was a short trip down the A505 to Royston Town to watch The Crows, as they took on newly promoted Stamford AFC. I previously watched Stamford take on Dereham Town last season, who in a bizarre coincidence also play in black and white and have a bird-related nickname, The Magpies! With Royston Town sitting at the foot of the table after 2 games, and Stamford near the top with 6 points, you may have considered Stamford as favourites going into the game, but it is still very early days.
Upon arrival I quickly found out that printed programmes weren't on offer, but there was an online version available to download. Other than that, the ground offers good facilities, a nice club house, a burger van and numerous sheltered stands.
Having not eaten any dinner, I grabbed an obligatory cheeseburger with onions for £4.50, and I must say it was another decent non-league burger!
It was a cool, dry and still evening, perfect footballing conditions, on a well manicured but undulating pitch. Both teams were in their home strips, with Royston Town in white and black, and Stamford AFC in red.
KEY MOMENTS
RT = Royston Town
ST = Stamford AFC
8' - RT - Royston counter quickly, and from a wide left position, Newman whips the ball into the danger area, the ball flashes across the face of goal and Keller is unable to connect, so close!
22' - RT - A brilliant turn from Alfie Williams finds him a bit of valuable space in the middle, he uses this to feed Esan down the left, he uses his pace to step past the defender then zips the ball into the box, Sandiford gets on the end, but he is stretching in the air and is unable to guide it into the net.
46' - ST - Shaw goes on a brilliant run down the left wing, he feeds Miller on the edge of the box, he takes a touch to set himself then powers in a shot, but keeper Chadwick is able to block the effort with his leg.
52' - RT - Keller finds Esan in the box, a neat spin seems him beyond the defenders, he lashes in a strike but it is narrowly wide of the near post, big opportunity.
59' - RT - Alfie Williams steps up to take a free-kick, he loops it over to the far post where it finds captain Ronnie Henry, he stabs at the ball but his effort flies harmlessly over the bar.
68' - ST - GOAL (0-1) - Captain Robert Morgan cuts across the edge of the area, he plays a neat 1-2 with Duffy to blaze in a strike that beats Chadwick to fly into the bottom corner, great change of pace from the captain and fine finish to boot!
85' - RT - GOAL (1-1) - Royston plug away for an equaliser, and eventually they break through. Keller has space in the middle and runs forwards with the ball, he picks out substitute Tsaguim on the right wing who bursts past the defender, cuts in and with his head up picks out fellow substitute Akintunde, and his pinpoint pass sets up an easy tap in for the striker, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Overall, that was a tightly contested game between two evenly matched sides, with a draw being a fair reflection on the game. Although Stamford AFC controlled the game for large periods, Royston looked more incisive on the break, although their final ball often let them down. The Royston fans were pleased with the much improved performance compared to the previous two games, and I am hoping that they can build on tonight's performance. A game in which the defences held firm for large swathes of the game, limiting the chances to a small handful, it was nevertheless an enthralling watch, and the standard at Step 3 is noticeably faster and more physical than my usual Step 5. It was also great to see a large and vocal Stamford contingent, this was also apparent at Dereham, great to see at this level, and they seem a really good bunch, I must go visit their ground one of these days. All-in-all, an enjoyable visit, glad I came and I hope to return one day. Best of luck to both teams in the season ahead!
Line-Ups:
ROYSTON TOWN: Louis Chadwick, Greg Sandiford, Dequaine Wilson-Braithwaite, Josh Coldicott-Stevens, Ange Djadja, Ronnie Henry (C), Cain Keller, Alfie Williams, Matt Bateman, Samson Esan, Tom Newman. SUBS: Lewis Williams, Flo Tsaguim, Fabio Virciglio, Efraim Romanos, Juwon Akintunde.
STAMFORD AFC: Daniel Wallis, Joe Burgess, Connor Bartle, Harry Vince, Ashton Offler, James Blunden, Lee Shaw, Robert Morgan (C), Jack Duffy, Ricky Miller, Oliver Brown-Hill. SUBS: Michael Armstrong, Bill Bennett, Bradley Munns, Jon Challinor, Thomas Siddons.
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