Déjà vu in the London FA!

It was a case of deja vu as we took on Ark Academy Putney in the London FA on Monday - much like last week we found ourselves 3-0 up early and 5-1 to the good at half time and come the final whistle, 8-1 winners and safely through to the next round. 

A whirlwind start saw STC fast out the blocks against an opposition who we would find out were big and physical and who employed a 3-5-2 formation. The pace and power of the STC front 3 of Nick Tavares, Chace Hunte-Jones and Rivaldo Murray soon started causing all sorts of problems and it was little surprise that Tavares (2) and Leslie Egwuonwu had us 3 goals to the good. Unfortunately that elusive clean sheet continues to evade us as Putney pulled a goal back with a cross come shoot that Leon Agani got fingertips to but could not keep out. This however was the only blip of the day and we was soon back on track as Hunte-Jones opened up his account for the season with a neat finish after a mazy run down the left and Nifise Odiari powered home a perfectly weighted corner from Ayub Hassan. 

The second half was much of the same, STC playing on the front foot but missing a host of chance, bad misses? Good goalkeeping? Probably a mixture of both if we're honest. Further goals were added by top scorer Tavares (2) taking his tally on the day to 4 and after a spot on pin ball in the box centre back Gianni Simpson-Telfer powered home a low angled drive. A strong start to the game allowed for lots of rotation in the 2^nd half with all 16 players getting valuable minutes in their legs and more playing experience in what is still a very new team. 

Final score: St Charles 8 - 1 Ark Academy Putney

Man of the match:  Nick Tavares: 4 goals and excellent work rate over the 90 minutes in a couple of different positions.