⚽️ Lewis
⚽️ Ward
⚽️ McCafferty
🅰️ Mistry
🅰️ Williams

Honors even at Rawlins Stadium in the second friendly encounter between two of the longest serving sides in the Alliance League. A goal for CSKA’s newest player James Lewis and a goal for CSKA’s longest serving player Chris McCafferty, as well as another from Caine Ward.

The visitors took a lead after an uncharacteristic mistake at the back presented a gift to allow the Uplands striker to round Tej Shah and tap into the empty net. CSKA responded immediately with new recruit James Lewis forcing an error and then firing into the net from a very obscure angle. Lewis was unlucky to have a second goal ruled out for offside, but moments later the ever lively Josh McDougall beat his man before playing in Hiran Mistry who squared to the late incoming Caine Ward to slide the ball home and give CSKA the lead.

The play improved as the game went on, and Uplands ended up playing overhit passes in the wind, their only other real chance of note coming from a freekick that was well saved by Tej Shah.

The second half began with a wonder strike to give Uplands an equaliser for 2-2 which left the rest of the game played at very good pace and intensity as both sides went for the win. A beautifully weighted splitting ball from Will McNamee put Josh McDougall clean through but struck it into the sidenetting, Hiran Mistry showed great footwork on the edge of the box to create a few chances, but each were held by the Uplands keeper, and James Lewis was constantly causing a problem.

Chris McCafferty was a late introduction and almost immediately grabbed an assist for an own goal when his driven cross ricocheted off the defender and was tipped over by the keeper. Uplands however had come close previously on set-pieces and with just 10 minutes left they converted to give them a 3-2 lead. As they played for time and frustrated CSKA, a sliding tackle from Connor Williams ended up in between the goalkeeper and the last man, and substitute McCafferty ran on as the two hesitated to knock past the goalkeeper and tap the ball into the empty net for 3-3.

A final bit of drama saw Uplands reduced to 10 men, but no more chances of note meant the game ended in a very fair final score of 3-3.