THIS TRADITIONAL CURTAIN RAISER TO THE SEASON WAS KEENLY CONTESTED(RATHER TOO MUCH BY CERTAIN PLAYERS) AND RESULTED IN A FINE GAME OF FOOTBALL AND ULTIMATELY GREENHILL ACHIEVING SOMETHIG WHICH THEY HAD NEVER DONE BEFORE AGAINST WESTELLA ,A VICTORY.
GREENHILL STARTED RATHER SLOWLY WITH PERHAPS ONE OR TWO STILL THINKING THEY WERE IN THEIR SLEEPING BAGS.WESTELLA WERE HAVING THE BETTER OF THINGS IN MIDFIELD BUT THE INTRODUCTION OF LEON CUSWORTH AND JAKE SMITH (WHO REPLACED THE INJURED WARREN BROWN)ADDED STRENGTH AND EVENTUALLY GREENHILL STARTED STRINGING TOGETHER SOME IMPRESSIVE PASSING MOVES ,ONE OF WHICH LED TO THE OPENING GOAL.DANNY RODGERS FOUND BRAD BOWLAND WHO FOUND THE BOTTOM CORNER BEAUTIFULLY WITH THE OUTSIDE OF HIS RIGHT FOOT. EVERYONE WAS NOW SETTLING INTO THE GAME BUT WESTELLA ARE A QUALITY SIDE AND STILL LOOKED DANGEROUS.THEIR BEST CHANCE SO FAR CAME WHEN THEIR STRIKER'S SHOT WAS HEADING FOR THE CORNER OF THE NET BUT CAMERON MANAGED TO PALM THE SHOT AWAY.IT WAS A MAGNIFICENT SAVE AND CAUSED ASHLEY THOMPSON TO SPILL HALF OF HIS COFFEE.EVENTUALLY WESTELL DID EQUALISE BEFORE THE BREAK PARTLY BECAUSE OF SOME SLACK MARKING.INQUESTS WERE HELD ON THE SPOT (NOT AS TO WHO HAD LET THEIR MAN GO BUT WHERE WAS JACK SHORTLAND'S GADGET LEG WHEN IT WAS NEEDED!)
THE SECOND HALF WAS AS TOUGH AS THE FIRST WITH SOME STRONG CHALLENGES MIXED IN WITH THE GOOD FOOTBALL.GREENHILL TOOK THE LEAD AGAIN WHEN GREG WARD PUT DANNY ROGERS THROUGH AND HE SLID THE BALL HOME.
EVENTS TOO A DRAMATIC TURN SOON AFTER WHEN ROBBIE CUPITT SAW RED AFTER KICKING AN OPPONENT OFF THE BALL( I BLAME HIS PARENTS - HIS MOTHER IS A NIGHTMARE).THIS COULD HAVE LOST THE GAME BUT THE 10 MEN WERE MAGNIFICENT WITH JOE LONG (WHO HAD THE WEEKEND OFF FROM HIS BUSY ACTING CAREER) BUZZING ABOUT AND COVERING IN MOST AREAS OF THE PITCH AND GREENHILL STRETCHED THEIR LEAD WHEN JAKE SMITH CUT IN FROM THE LEFT AND CURLED A SHOT INTO THE FAR CORNER. WESTELLA TO THEIR CREDIT KEPT AT IT AND PULLED A GOAL BACK AND THERE WAS STILL TIME FOR BRAD BOWLAND TO HIT THE BAR AND FOR CAMERON TO MAKE YET ANOTHER SUPERB SAVE ,THIS TIME WITH HIS LEGS.
ALL IN ALL IT WAS A BRILLIANT WIN AND FRASER AND HIS TRUSTY ASSISTANT IRONSIDE CAN TAKE LOTS OF POSITIVES FROM THE GAME.

WELL DONE AND I'M OUT OF HERE BEFORE IT KICKS OFF