After a week delay to the start of the season, the Old Tiffinians 4th team could not have possibly been more keen to get things started. Rarely seen at the Grists Allotments pitch is a mass of Tiffs players 12 strong all warming up and getting stuck in 45 minutes before kick-off. The 4s were chomping at the bit and raring to go!

After 45 minutes of dusting off the cobwebs, refining the first touches to perfection and jogging off the summer fatigue, you would surely expect Tiffs to hit the ground running when the whistle blew for kick-off. You would be wrong. The first 25 minutes of the game were sloppy at best with both sides struggling to get a hold of the game and slashing away at the odd half-chance.

Suddenly, Tiffs found their footing and started to string a few passes together and moved up the pitch as a team. This quickly paid off when striker Tony Law capitalised on a mistake at the back to put the Tiffs 1-0 up.

Old Wokingians responded well after conceding. Plenty of pressure was applied to the Tiffs back four and Woking were looking particularly threatening from a multitude of corners. The pressure paid off just before half time from another corner as Tiffs failed to clear their lines and the ball ran through to the Woking attacker who headed in from a couple of yards out to level the score at 1-1.

Alongside calling out the positivity going forward, the half time team talk called for composure in defence. This proved to be sorely needed as the Tiffs professionally withheld through 20 minutes of constant pressure from Wokingians after the restart.

The efforts at the back opened the way for the best Tiffs spell of the game with some top quality free-flowing attacking football. The goals came thick and fast. Sean Gawin pierced through the Wokingians defence after being set loose by Sheldon Fernandes and calmly slotted the ball past the Woking keeper. A peach of a ball over the top from Jackson Pereira set up a second for Sean with another fine finish. The Tiffs were flying and a string of neat pass and moves proved fruitful as Sean Mullen fired a pinpoint pass across the penalty box for Tony Law to fire in his second to see the Tiffs 4-1 up.

A couple of further chances missed by the Tiffs were thankfully inconsequential despite a late consolation goal from Woking following a controversial penalty decision to set the score at 4-2 at the final whistle. A strong display from Tiffs through a very physical game to kick-off their season as they mean to carry on.

Final Score: Old Tiffinians IV 4-2 Old Wokingians VII

Man of the match: Sean Gawin