Caythorpe arrived for the new season knowing exactly what they were walking into. Coaches had framed the step up as Wrexham’s rise through the leagues compressed into a single campaign, and this trip to Bardney was always going to be a test of whether that promotion had been earned the hard way.

It got harder before a ball was even kicked. One player was ruled out through sickness. Then, inside the first quarter, another went off injured. From there it was seven against a full side for the remaining 50 minutes.

What followed was a performance the lads can be proud of.

In the first two quarters Caythorpe did not look like a newly promoted side. They passed, they moved, they showed real confidence on the ball. T Bardney were the superior side, and most of Caythorpes threat came on the counter, but it was organised rather than desperate.

Number 6, battled relentlessly in midfield. He only scores screamers, and he produced another one: a beast of a free-kick that gave Caythorpe their goal, with Noah providing the assist. Number 11 put in a double shift, covering centre midfield and the wing as if the extra minutes did not exist. Numbers 10 and 22 rotated positions throughout to save legs and keep the midfield and wide areas functioning.

The platform, though, was built at the back. The two centre-backs, numbers 7 and 8, were outstanding. They attacked when the moment was there and dropped off when it was not. Coaches felt number 22 and number 8 produced their best games in a Caythorpe shirt. Man of the match was number 7, a really solid display, never shirking a challenge, protecting the goalkeeper who made five or six excellent stops.

By the later stages it was about character as much as football. Seven players covering the pitch for a full match is a test of fitness, concentration and will. Caythorpe passed it. They stayed organised, they stayed competitive, and they never looked like a side simply hanging on.

It was a tricky tie made significantly more difficult by the numbers. The response was a performance full of quality in the first half of the game and steel in the second. The lads can hold their heads high.

⚽ Goal: Alfie

🅰️ Assist: Noah

🏆 Player of the Match: Kristan

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