Following last week's opening day loss, the Eagles looked to get their season kick started away at Reigate Priory. The opening 10 minutes were full on, with challenges and tackles flying in. As the game settled down, we began to play their football and our efforts were rewarded with the opener. A perfectly flighted corner was headed home by Guilherme Gusmao. The lead lasted until the last minute of the 1st half when a long ball into the Eagles box led to confusion and was poked home by the home side.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with chances for both sides. 20 minutes through the half, a nicely weighted ball over the top led to the Reigate CB fouling Guilherme in the box. With the ref pointing to the spot, Guilherme stepped up and duly dispatched the ball into the bottom right corner. With something to hold onto, the Eagles fighting spirit kicked in. Reigate were limited to half chances although were celebrating in the 75th minute as a long range effort appeared destined for the top corner, however an amazing flying save from Calum Collins kept us in front. A counter attack, led by debutant Jayden Asare, almost led to a hat-trick for Guilherme however his effort rebounded off the post. The Eagles saw out the 4 minutes of injury time to take home the 3 points.
With the first 2 weeks of fixtures complete, it is clear this is going to be an incredibly close division so every point will be hard won. The Eagles now have a week off before they resume their league campaign with a home fixture against West Byfleet.