Martin Southall

GK

Rob Djemal

DEF

Chris Payne

DEF

Terry Keates

DEF

Matt West

DEF

Paul Dobson

MF

Dan Hemmings (C)

MF

Ross Hutchings

MF

Adam Butler

MF

Spencer Ward

F

Andy Payne

F

Danny Byrne

MF

Rob Convey

DEF

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On a hot afternoon Saracens season got off to a stutter start, with twelve players unavailable for various reasons (work, holidays, honeymoons, injuries and suspensions!) manager Ken Benbow was forced to play three midfielder in defence, and that was Saracens early undoing. Slack marking allowed Baldock to use the strong sun and quite influential slope of their pitch to immediately put Saracens under pressure. Baldock played the wide ball over the top with immense regularity and after early scares the Sarries back line were caught on two quick occasions which resulted in goals. Saracens kept on pressing and much to Baldock consternation had them under pressure for ten minutes but couldn't get the ball in the net for their opener. Then just as everyone was thinking of the half time break, Baldock caught Sarries flat footed and scored their third.
Half time was eventful, apart from Manager Ken Benbow having to Ref the second half, the players felt that Baldock didn't deserve to be 3 up and if we applied ourselves in the second half then we would get back into the game.
The second half started and Sarries were a different team, Rob Convey took over in the right back slot allowing Westie to fill the gap left by Ross who took a nasty whack on his knee in the first half.
It was all Sarries, attack after attack rained in on the Baldock goal, Westie had a shot the hit the bar and bounced back to one of their defenders to clear, Dobbo attempted to get his head to a bouncing ball with a stranded keeper but players on the line cleared the danger and Butts, Andy and Pires all had shots saved by their keeper. And then as luck would have it, a long ball was latched onto by their forward his first effort was palmed out by Martin, and the follow up shot was blocked by Martin's legs but there was another Baldock player more alert than the defence who managed to sqeeze the ball into the net between 2 defenders and a dispairing dive by Martin 0-4.
Saracens restarted with the conviction they had just before the goal, and kept on plugging away at the Baldock goal, a good move with Andy racing down the wing outrunning the Baldock Back line, a teasing cross which Westie was just about to despatch into the goal when he was tackled from behind and brought down to give Sarries a penalty.
Up stepped Andy to slot the ball away cooly to give Sarries something to go for in the last 20 mintues, but apart from odd breakaway, it was all Sarries but Baldock held firm to the final whistle.
Manager Ken Benbow said: 'this was one of those games where if it could go wrong it did!! At least we got it out of the way early enough in the season, so we can now regroup, get some players back for next week and start again.'