Nailsea had the perfect start with a well worked opening goal on 5 minutes. Lee Cogan found Jonesy wide on the left and he didn’t delay on squaring a low cross into the box which Christian hit first time from 6 yards out. The ball ricocheted off the keeper back to Christian who bundled the ball in. After that bright start the rest of the half belonged to ReUnion and their dominance was rewarded with a goal on 40 minutes. Nailsea gifted the ball to ReUnion on the edge of the penalty area and Tif slotted home to make the half time score 1-1.

Nailsea made changes in the second half with several players carrying injuries and the re-shuffle made all the difference resulting in a much more closely contended second 45. Steve Price put Nailsea 2-1 up on 70 minutes being the first to react to a loose ball from a corner and drilled the ball into the roof of the net from close distance. 5 minutes later Nailsea gave themselves a 2 goal cushion as Tony netted a third. With seconds remaining ReUnion was awarded a penalty and Mac stepped up to calmly put the ball low into the right corner.

As is often the case against ReUnion it was a tight game but played in a terrific spirit. I’m sure they will be fired up for our forthcoming cup match when we’ll need to be at our best to progress.

Great to get the new season started despite a thin Nailsea squad with quite a few regulars unavailable for the first game. Thanks to Rich Wood and Carl (from Voyager) running out for us at short notice.

The first half was relatively even. Chances were few and far between although Nailsea hit the upright from a Steve Clarke header. ReUnion pressed Nailsea’s defense on several occasions but didn’t create many clear-cut chances. The half looked like ending in a stalemate until the last minute. ReUnions right winger was first to pick up a loose ball and crossed low into the box. Nailsea’s right back Forbsey challenged and was tripped as the ball ran to ReUnion to fire home from close range. Nailsea’s protests fell on deaf ears as the referee allowed the goal to stand.

The second half saw ReUnion extend their lead to 3 -0 in a dominant 25 minutes. Nailsea pulled one back through Nelly and for a short while a comeback looked on the cards. ReUnion sealed the win with a 4^th as Nailsea chased the game and were caught on the counterattack.

Despite the disappointment of losing the first fixture, it was still an enjoyable game played in a competitive but good spirit (if we ignore the occasional stand-off with the ref!).