5th in the Isthmian League South Central table is where the Moneys find themselves after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Raynes Park Vale. The fourth straight win under manager Callum Glen in the last five games, as the momentum and performance from the team has found great consistency.

​Straight from the kick off, Moneys had excellent chances with their high press as Raynes found themselves stuck trying to build from the back. James Franklyn had an early chance slotted through from Faris Khallouqi that almost made it past the keeper. Khallouqi then had his own chance after getting through the Raynes defenders, before another save by the keeper held the score at 0-0.  

All before 3 minutes were even on the clock though, Raynes Park Vale found themselves and broke through the high press. With a good string of passes, Tyler Cox notched it past Malachi Osei-Owusu to get a 0-1 lead that silenced the home crowd.

Moneyfields stayed with the press, and it paid off with a mistake from the Raynes midfield that allowed Khallouqi to get slipped in behind the line.  A great ball by Max Smith put Faris through and allowed him to squeeze the ball past the keeper, to equalise and to make it 1-1 in the 7th minute.

​Both sides shared control of the ball throughout the first half; however, Moneys had the better chances fall to them. A corner late on in the first half by Ciaran Martin saw a great delivery that bounced around the box, but with a slight flick from Tayo Singerr, the ball found its way to man of the match Tom Jeffes feet, who dinked it past the keeper to make it 2-1 in the 36th minute.

Half Time – Moneyfields 2-1 Raynes Park Vale

​Coming out for the second half, Raynes Park Vale’s energy was a bit diminished as they got two quick yellows in the first 10 minutes from good Moneyfields possession. With the momentum on the home side, more chances came about. Another Martin corner in the 54th minute, this time quickly taken short, led to another close chance for the Moneys that got flicked on, past the keeper, but not past the post, keeping the score at 2-1.

​4 minutes later, in the 55th minute, Franklyn found himself one-on-one in front of the keeper from another Raynes mistake, this time in defence. Calmly lobbing the ball over the top into the bottom left of the goal, Moneys were up 3-1 and controlling the game.

​If it wasn’t for the Raynes keeper in the 60th minute, who tipped the ball over the bar after a great shot from Khallouqi, they would have found themselves down by 3 and out of sight.

​Glen made a few subs late on in the game, shifting off the press and more to seeing the game out with a defensive build and making Raynes Park Vale break them down if they had any chance of getting back into the game. That breakdown never happened, and Moneyfields did well to manage out the game and take all 3 points in front of an enthusiastic crowd who are loving what their team is putting together at this point in the season.

​Moneyfields will look to keep up their momentum next Wednesday, when they travel away to South London for a first-of-the-season clash with Kingstonian. Glen has the boys humming with confidence, but with any away game, he knows everyone has to remain focused and locked in. 

Full Time – Moneyfields 3-1 Raynes Park Vale

Man of the Match sponsored by Jamiesons Services Ltd: Tom Jeffes