UEA MEN’S FOOTBALL CRUSH COSTESSEY

The football team continue their blistering start to the season with their second win in two games.


UEA Men’s Football sent out a message to the rest of the league by making it two wins from two, and 21 goals this season.

UEA had already beaten Costessey once this season, in the Cyrill Ballyn Cup, so they knew approaching the game with the right attitude would result in the three points, sure enough they ran out convincing 9-1 victors.

There were two changes from the previous match with Seymour and Beeson making way due to injuries, this paved the way for first year Ryan Chapman to make his first start for the team. Two more promising first year prospects, Stefanos Pachnis and Michael Dryden were included on the substitute’s bench.

Ben Calvo eased the nerves in the first moments as he pounced to score before Costessey had even had a chance of any assured possession.

Further goals came in the first half after the referee played advantage and Skidmore stroked the ball in off the far post from the edge of the box.

Richards grabbed a goal from a set piece as Blackwell found him with ‘a clever disguised pass’ or so he claims!

Good work from Calvo then enabled Dingli to bundle in a scrappy goal to make it four and Calvo bagged himself a brace to put UEA five to the good at half time.

In the second half UEA just about managed to avoid being drawn into Costessey’s tactics which seemed to be that they were no longer interested in the football but in trying to hurt UEA players.

Despite this, UEA continued to stream forward and rattled in four more goals. Calvo completed a hat-trick before leaving the pitch to hand a debut to Pachnis who was very impressive on his first game.

Dryden, who had been brought on at half time also had a strong debut replacing Dan Williams despite scoring an unfortunate own goal.

Dingli also grabbed a hat-trick with a header and a right footed finish after capitalising on a woeful square pass.

Heading into the latter stages Richards volleyed across the face of goal for Dingli to make it nine.

A very strong performance and another bundle of goals for UEA, giving the side momentum going into the next round of the two cup competitions in the coming weeks.

A clean sheet would have added gloss to the result but it was an improvement on the three goals Costessey scored in the corresponding fixture earlier in the season. Next up for UEA is a home tie in the Norfolk Junior Cup, the opponents, Caister Reserves.