A strong winning start to 2025 for the 8ths, who sit mid-table after comfortably dispatching of a struggling Wokingians VII who are rooted to the bottom of the table. It looked as though the 8ths had proceedings wrapped up within the first ten minutes with two rapid-fire goals coming from two corners in the first ten minutes, Tom’s bullet header demonstrating the physical dominance and winning mentality of the wider team on the day over our opponents.

Having gone 3-0 up within 20 minutes, the 8ths were punished for defensive slackness as Wokingians found their way back into the game, with two probing passes reaching their targets, who both converted to bring the game to 3-2. From here, the 8ths turned the screws again, quickly re-establishing a 4-2 lead through Angus, before Billal capitalized on a loose ball whilst Wokingians defenders looked on like statues. A Mikey penalty took a 6-2 lead in at half-time.

The second half started with Wokingians looking to cut the deficit and not have it be a wasted afternoon. They certainly had chances, demanding Dave to be at his spritely best in goal and squandering a gilt-edged chance to score following advantage played for a foul in the box. However, the 8ths regained control of the game, moving the ball quickly on the deck from front-to-back. One such phase resulted in a lovely team goal starting with Dave in goal, with the ball working it’s way in a zig-zag from defence, through midfield, finding it’s way eventually to Angus who coolly rounded off a wonderful team goal.

Prabs dedication to supporting attacks paid off on multiple occasions, as he set up Mikey for his hat-trick late on. In all, it was an impressive display from the VIIIs who played some lovely football, with all players showing real calmness and confidence in possession and committing to a strong shape with good communication while defending.

The real test for the 8ths going forward is to put together a run of form, and to demonstrate their capabilities to play football the right way against opposition higher in the table. A big thanks from the team to Dave, Chris and Tom for stepping in this week, and well done for their fantastic performances.