It was First Round Qualifying of the FA Youth Cup against a very decent hard working Stratford Town. We knew we'd be up against it from the start and we were.

From the whistle it was a ferocious, fast paced game, the hosts having much of the ball in the first half and at least two very good scoring opportunities saved brilliantly by City keeper Ben Clay.

The second half started with City applying more pressure with a formation change, which finalyl told when Owen Oxley’s long range speculative effort went through the keeper's legs. 0-1. It wasn’t long to wait for the second. Owen picked up a brace when his Beckham-esque free kick from 25 yards, satisfyingly hit the side netting, inside the post. That’s how it finished. To come away with a 2-0 win over a good team like Stratford at their place is an extraordinary achievement.

We wish Stratford all the best for the rest of the season and look forward to playing them in the league. As for the City boys, onto the Second round of the FA Youth Cup against Rangers ...

... either Paget or Stratford. C'mon City!