Little Common hold heads high despite defeat to Roffey
Little Common produced a determined and disciplined performance but were narrowly beaten 1-0 by high-flying Roffey in an SCFL Premier clash at the Recreation Ground on Saturday.
Having suffered a heavy 8-0 defeat against the same opposition on the opening weekend of the season, Common showed just how far they have progressed with a resolute display that kept them firmly in contention throughout.
The visitors enjoyed the lion’s share of possession during the opening period, but Common remained organised and difficult to break down, restricting Roffey's opportunities despite their territorial advantage. When the visitors did find a way through, goalkeeper Matt Cruttwell was in fine form, producing two smart saves to keep the scores level.
However, Common's resistance was finally broken on the stroke of half-time when a neat passing move from the visitors allowed Roffey to take a slender advantage into the interval.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Roffey enjoying plenty of possession but finding clear-cut chances difficult to come by against a hardworking Common side.
Cruttwell was again called into action, producing an excellent save low to his left to prevent the visitors from doubling their advantage.
Despite spending long periods without the ball, Common continued to battle for every challenge and remained within touching distance of an equaliser as the contest entered its closing stages.
The home side's best opportunity arrived late on when Sam Ellis rose to meet a delivery into the area, but his header flashed across the face of goal and away to safety. It proved to be Common's final opportunity as Roffey held on to secure all three points.
Boss Russ Eldridge said: “I thought the lads put in a really disciplined and hard-working performance against a very good Roffey side. They are up near the top of the table for a reason and we knew we would have to work extremely hard without the ball.
“When you consider we lost 8-0 to them on the opening day of the season, I think today's performance shows how far we have come. We were organised, difficult to break down and, despite them having plenty of possession, I didn't feel they created too many clear-cut opportunities.
“It was disappointing to concede right on half-time because we had worked so hard to keep them out. We stayed in the game throughout the second half and always felt we might nick something.
“The effort and commitment from the players couldn't be questioned. We now need to build on these performances and start turning them into points. If we continue showing that level of determination and togetherness, I'm confident results will come.”