THE RAMS got their league campaign off to a winning start with a two-one victory over the Meadow Youth Lions at Notley Green on Sunday.
Last season the Lions finished higher than any of the other teams who will compete in this season's Osea Division so it was an excellent start for the home side.
The Rams fielded a defensive pairing from Tom Hunt, Emma Root and Jamie McNeilly, a midfield from James O'Reilly, Matthew Littlejohn and Olivia Hales, with Sam Donnelly, George Morris and Ben Rodley up front, and Tom McInerney between the sticks.
However it was the visitors who went ahead after five minutes, when some indecision in the Rams defence led to the Lions centre forward rifling a powerful shot past the clutches of goalkeeper Tom McInerney from a narrow angle.
But the home team kept their composure and after the first set of substitutions, Jamie McNeilly won an excellent tackle before surging forward to provide an inch perfect pass to Sam Donnelly who found himself through on goal and kept his nerve to slot the ball past the oncoming keeper.
All square at half time, the Rams began to play with more fluency in the second half and a nice combination between Matthew Littlejohn and George Morris saw the former clear in front of goal and he scored his third goal in as many games to secure the league points.
Rams boss John Stoneman said: "It's always good to start the season with three points, and I felt that over the balance of the game we were good for the victory.
"We had a number of chances to get the third goal that would have made it comfortable, and we need to keep our heads in front of goal, in exactly the way that Sam and Matthew did.
"But at times we did make it quite difficult for ourselves and we did not play with the same freedom that we have shown in the friendlies, but a win is a win."
Next up for the Rams will be a clash away to Wilvale Rangers next Sunday.
Last season the Lions finished higher than any of the other teams who will compete in this season's Osea Division so it was an excellent start for the home side.
The Rams fielded a defensive pairing from Tom Hunt, Emma Root and Jamie McNeilly, a midfield from James O'Reilly, Matthew Littlejohn and Olivia Hales, with Sam Donnelly, George Morris and Ben Rodley up front, and Tom McInerney between the sticks.
However it was the visitors who went ahead after five minutes, when some indecision in the Rams defence led to the Lions centre forward rifling a powerful shot past the clutches of goalkeeper Tom McInerney from a narrow angle.
But the home team kept their composure and after the first set of substitutions, Jamie McNeilly won an excellent tackle before surging forward to provide an inch perfect pass to Sam Donnelly who found himself through on goal and kept his nerve to slot the ball past the oncoming keeper.
All square at half time, the Rams began to play with more fluency in the second half and a nice combination between Matthew Littlejohn and George Morris saw the former clear in front of goal and he scored his third goal in as many games to secure the league points.
Rams boss John Stoneman said: "It's always good to start the season with three points, and I felt that over the balance of the game we were good for the victory.
"We had a number of chances to get the third goal that would have made it comfortable, and we need to keep our heads in front of goal, in exactly the way that Sam and Matthew did.
"But at times we did make it quite difficult for ourselves and we did not play with the same freedom that we have shown in the friendlies, but a win is a win."
Next up for the Rams will be a clash away to Wilvale Rangers next Sunday.
