Metropolitan Police 0

Banstead Athletic 5

No one in the above-average crowd for this opening game of the season could have foreseen what dreams would unfold as the game progressed.

Banstead opened very confidently and had a couple of shots cleared off the line early on. The fact that the Blues had to wait until the 36th minute for central defender Adam Wickens to have their first shot at goal should have given the home supporters some concern.

It was only a matter of time before Banstead would open the flood gates. Minutes later and Burton ran on to a through ball to place it wide of Peter Land to open the scoring. With the start of the second half the game was as good as decided a minute later. Feltham was able to slip two defenders and fire home for the second from an acute angle.

The visitors were enjoying the game and lining up for shot practice. The Blues tried a comeback in the final quarter of an hour bringing on all three substitutes but it was a case of too little too late.

Alas into the final five minutes they collapsed allowing Feltham and Burton to get their second goals while York tried his luck with a 25-yard drive giving Land in goal no chance to make it five.

Not an auspicious start to the season for a Blues' side badly needing new players.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.