Wareham Rangers 1 Sturminster Marshall Stars 0 

The first game of the new season for the Stars was played under a splash of warm September sunshine at Sandford Middle School. The first half remained goalless, despite both teams creating chances. The Stars were bolstered by a disciplined performance at the heart of defence by Bradley Gordon, which led to his eventual man of the match award.

The second half began with sustained pressure from Wareham, which the Stars coped with initially. However, having gone to sleep once too often at the back, a speculative shot from the edge of the box did find its way into the back of the net, which proved to be the winner for Wareham.   

The Stars did respond by launching a wave of attacks themselves, with Jonny Hale coming closest, but had to watch his long range dipping shot go just over the bar.   Whilst the Stars were unlucky to leave empty handed, they will be encouraged by strong performances throughout the team, notably David Waterman in goal, and Andrew McKenzie in midfield. Give these boys two or three games to gel, and they will surely start to return the goods.