Classics grind it out in the mud........
What a difference a week makes. The Classics went from the ridiculous to the sublime in the space of seven days. Gone were the inept performances and the Blues came back with renewed vigour. On a field which would have been more suited to an army tank manoeuve, the Classics played some clever football which belied the accepted performance under such attrocious conditions.

The ball was played about in a confident manner with some very proficient moves by a team which once again believed in itself. It would be unfair to single out any individual players as each one did his bit and the confidence of the defence aided the hard working midfield which in turn gave the front runners plenty of opportunities to show their stuff.

The Classics should have taken the lead on the half hour when they were awarded a penalty. Ususally unruffled Alan Burton stepped up to convert but the ball rattled the crossbar and bounced out to safety leaving a red faced Burton. The half ended 0-0.

Burton was given the chance to redeem himself 10 minutes into the second half after Alfie Degian was unceremoniously pushed in the back. This time he made no mistake from the spot. Five minutes later it was 0-2 when Jim Eden unleashed one of his free kicks from just outside the penalty box. He cleverly curled the ball around the defensive wall and, although the keeper got a touch, it went into the top right hand corner for the insurance goal.

Essondale piled on the pressure to get back into the game and it paid off with 20 minutes to go. The ball was cleared out of a crowded goal mouth by Dave Moore but it went directly to an opposing player who hit the ball high and then watched as it eluded stand in goalkeeper Chas Jones, and left him swatting flies.

The Classics did however, hold on to secure a creditable win and regain some of last weeks lost pride.