Stewkley First Team headed out to Twyford on Saturday afternoon, looking to put right the wrongs of the previous week at Willen.

With a few missing from injury and in a week that saw club captain Ewan Reeves confirmed as out for the season, the boys were looking to pick up 3 points and get the season back moving in the right direction.

Stewkley started the game on the front foot and a nice playing surface at Twyford allowed the yellows to move the ball and their opponents around the pitch with relative ease. Scrivener and Cristofoli were again combing down the left handside and looked dangerous early on. H Reeves and Roadnight were also a threat down the right and it was the former who created the first chance. Alligan played a lovely ball out to Reeves on the right flank and he flashed a ball along the 6 yard box which found Bailey unmarked, but he could only smash the ball into the side netting.

The chances kept coming after this, this time Carter combined with Cristofoli and he found himself some space from the edge of the box but his shot was saved down low to the keepers right. At the resulting corner Roadnight whipped a ball in underneath the crossbar and Reeves climbed highest but had it taken off his head as the keeper scrambled the ball over his own crossbar. Eventually the Stewkley pressure and superior football paid dividends, as Reeves worked the ball up the right hand side to Roadnight who miscued his cross and caught the keeper off his line as the ball sailed over the stranded Twyford stopper and into the top left hand corner of the net, a fortuitous opening goal but was more than what was deserved. Twyford 0-1 Stewkley.

The first half continued in a similar vein, Scrivener was however replaced by McKenna after a horror challenge from the hosts skipper left him unable to continue. McKenna was straight into the action though, finding Carter in the middle of the park who slotted in Bailey who got his shot off but it was partially blocked by the keeper and looked destined to spin over the line, only for the Twyford full back to get a toe on the ball and knock it against the post before the keeper pounced on the loose ball.

It could and should have been much more but at the break Stewkley led 0-1.

The second half began in a very similar fashion, the hosts were sitting in even more now and looking to catch Stewkley on the break but the visitors kept on playing their football and created more chances. The first of note in the second half came when Roadnight put in another teasing cross, which Bailey tried to get on the end of but it just bounced over his toe and into the thankful Twyford keepers arms.

The yellows so nearly doubled there lead when Carter played the ball out to Roadnight on the right hand side and his cross found Reeves who's head smashed against the crossbar and Wagner's scissor kick rebound cannoned off the Twyford full back and away to safety.

Again Stewkley were inches away from scoring a second when McKenna set Cristofoli away down the left and he burst into the box and rifled a shot which beat the keeper and smashed against the post. The rebound fell to the onrushing Roadnight who just couldn't keep his shot down and he lifted the ball over the bar.

At this point Twyford had failed to threaten Essex in the Stewkley goal and the centre back pairing of Whittemore and Wagner, alongside skipper Budgen sitting in front of them, dealt with the aerial duels really well, but had little else to do. Meanwhile substitutes Hardings and Faulkner had entered the fray and it was the latter who so nearly made an instant impact, again a smart move between Reeves, Carter and Roadnight saw a beautiful ball played into the feet of Faulkner who stroked the ball from 6 yards out which seemed destined for the far right corner only for the Twyford stopper to make an unbelievable reaction save and somehow tip the ball over the bar.

With little more than 5 minutes left to play Twyford sent their centre back up top and begun to play a barrage of long balls up to the Twyford number 5. After winning a corner from a long throw in the ball in found the 5's head and looked destined for the back of the net only for Hardings to make a big block on the line and the thankful Essex fell on the ball to keep the visitors in front.

With seconds on the clock Twyford won a free kick on the halfway line and this was pumped forward by their keeper which again found the head of the hosts centre back and he slammed the ball towards goal, Essex in goal at full stretch got a big hand on the header and the ball was cleared by the Stewkley back line.

The referee then blew the final whistle to some big cheers from the boys in yellow. A brilliant performance on the road, but those numerous chances must turn into goals next week.

Full-time: Twyford Utd 0-1 Stewkley

Player of the Match: Luke Alligan