The Whites produced a terrific performance full of character to turn the tables on Shrivenham & Watchfield, seven days on from their League Cup defeat at the hands of the same opponents.
Having been well below par in a game Shrivenham won 4-2 after extra-time, the Colts were determined to give a better account of themselves this time and emerged with their most impressive result of the season to date.
A tweak to the formation seemed to bring out the best in a number of players and there were heroics at both ends of the field in an absorbing contest that could have gone either way, despite the two-goal margin between the sides at the final whistle.
Callum deserves a special mention for performing admirably between the posts in the first half after being handed the number one jersey at short notice. He was denied a deserved clean sheet by a strike in first-half stoppage-time but coped well in the slippery conditions and always tried to use possession sensibly.
By the time he was beaten, the Colts were 2-0 ahead. Matthew opened the scoring when he reacted quickly to force home a loose ball under pressure from the keeper after Max’s low drive was parried.
Max, whose strength in midfield was key to the Colts’ first-half display, then curled a free-kick from fully 30 yards out on the right over the Shrivenham custodian's head and into the top corner to double his side’s advantage.
He then took over from Callum in goal for the second half and frustrated the visitors with a series of excellent diving saves as they tried in vain to get back on level terms.
He was assisted by an acrobatic goalline clearance from Bradley, despite colliding with a post, and two similar interventions from Matthew, who somehow headed a free-kick that was destined for the net onto the underside of the bar before the danger was cleared.
Those efforts were typical of a sterling defensive performance that saw Josh make a number of vital blocks and tackles against a lively Shrivenham front-line, while Tom and Bradley alongside him dealt with the threat from the flanks and were never hurried when in possession.
Luke VDB worked hard on the left, Toby showed his versatility by playing in four different positions while also going very close with a trademark free-kick, George was always a danger in the final third and Brandon H linked the play with some neat touches.
Liam was typically pacy and tenacious in attack and was rewarded with a stunning goal that gave the Colts vital breathing space midway through the second half, picking up Matthew’s brilliantly-weighted pass and smashing an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.
The result made it one win apiece in the three-match series between the Colts and Shrivenham, with the ‘decider’ set to take place at Shrivenham Rec next weekend.