IN THEIR FIRST friendly of the new season, the Great Notley Rams secured an excellent win against a team which last year played in a league two divisions above them.
A hat trick from George Morris, along with goals from Sam Donnelly, Jonathan Stoneman, Ben Rodley and a fine penalty from Harvey Ricci saw the visitors home comfortably.
But in many ways it was the defensive display from the Rams which really caught the eye as for one of the first times since their inception, they denied their opposition even a sniff of a chance for most of the game, and the Yellows' goal only came at the end of the match as legs became weary from the first outing of the season.
Throughout the game, the Rams showed that the passing game that they have been working hard on in training was being transfered to the field of play, and at times in the first half they waltzed the ball through the Braintree side.
Rams boss John Stoneman said: "This is an excellent marker for the beginning of the season. I was expecting us to look a little ring rusty out there, but this was not the case. It is clear the whole team has been working hard on their game through the summer.
"We have some more friendlies to go before our first league match, so this is a very good start. I was delighted with the defence today. Jamie McNeilly, Emma Root and Harvey Ricci were exceptional, while Tom Hunt's competitive debut for us was very promising.
"What was particularly pleasing though was the way that Tom McInerney commanded his area in goal, and his kicking in now exceptional.
"I was also delighted with the efforts in midfield of James O'Reilly, Matthew Littlejohn and Olivia Hales, who showed a commitment in the tackle, and a deftness of touch in attack which was delightful."
A hat trick from George Morris, along with goals from Sam Donnelly, Jonathan Stoneman, Ben Rodley and a fine penalty from Harvey Ricci saw the visitors home comfortably.
But in many ways it was the defensive display from the Rams which really caught the eye as for one of the first times since their inception, they denied their opposition even a sniff of a chance for most of the game, and the Yellows' goal only came at the end of the match as legs became weary from the first outing of the season.
Throughout the game, the Rams showed that the passing game that they have been working hard on in training was being transfered to the field of play, and at times in the first half they waltzed the ball through the Braintree side.
Rams boss John Stoneman said: "This is an excellent marker for the beginning of the season. I was expecting us to look a little ring rusty out there, but this was not the case. It is clear the whole team has been working hard on their game through the summer.
"We have some more friendlies to go before our first league match, so this is a very good start. I was delighted with the defence today. Jamie McNeilly, Emma Root and Harvey Ricci were exceptional, while Tom Hunt's competitive debut for us was very promising.
"What was particularly pleasing though was the way that Tom McInerney commanded his area in goal, and his kicking in now exceptional.
"I was also delighted with the efforts in midfield of James O'Reilly, Matthew Littlejohn and Olivia Hales, who showed a commitment in the tackle, and a deftness of touch in attack which was delightful."
