⚽️⚽️ Arnold
⚽️ Parker
⚽️ Payne

🅰️ Mistry
🅰️🅰️ Payne
🅰️ Arnold

CSKA made it a winning start to 2024 thanks to a calm turned rugged performance at Southey Close.

From the start, CSKA were calm and produced plenty of passing and movement, building out from the back mostly, but also able to hit the channels and get in behind their full-backs.

Dave Payne and Caine Ward were getting a lot of early joy down the right flank with an early chance crossed into Josh McDougall arriving at the back post was spectacularly saved.

The opening goal was the result of some real class in the middle from Hiran Mistry who beat his man brilliantly, taking it on the half turn and flicking it over his an his markers head before a perfectly weighted pass into Olly Arnold who time his run brilliantly and produced one of his classy finishes.

Enderby came back into the game in the second half, with a very direct approach whilst playing down the hill. Defensively Jack Ellis, Gaz Walker and Connor Williams stood strong, whilst in the midfield the protection of Ruben Capp and Will McNamee shut off most of their avenues.

Offensively CSKA always looked a threat. Olly Arnold led the front line brilliantly with two players marking him throughout, but showed real determination to hold up the play when necessary. Brad Parker’s introduction at half-time also gave CSKA some additional creativity and his well struck volley eventually gave CSKA that 2-0 lead when we it was needed the most.

Olly Arnold added a third when a inch perfect cross from Dave Payne was headed into the bottom corner to put the game beyond Enderby. Or so we thought…

A quickfire double from Enderby gave them a glimmer of a chance of snatching a point, but the work-rate and desire shown by everyone in a CSKA shirt made sure that it was nothing more than a glimmer.

Payne’s sublime lob in injury time wrapped up the game, and Enderby come away with nothing more than about £48 in yellow card fines.