The new look Droitwich Spa side kicked off the season with what always looked like it would be a tricky away game at Roman Glass St George, and so it proved.

The warm summer sunshine greeted the players and a sizeable contingent of travelling support from Spa, unsure what to expect in new manager Quentin Townsend’s first competitive match in charge of the Saltmen.

From the kick-off, Spa looked confident and strong, making most of the early running and creating the better of the scoring chances.
Alex Dugmore had the beating of the hosts' centre back pairing, getting behind the rearguard on a few occasions only to find himself lacking a little support after breaking the line.

Club Captain James Lemon had the first real chance but his bobbling shot bounced off the post and back into the gloves of Glass keeper Ryan Smallwood.

Midfield mainstay Cory Rudd had a couple of his trademark power strikes at goal only to see them blocked by the Glass defence, and the closest Spa got to a first half lead came from Perry Moss, whose inventive effort from the edge of the box looked destined for the top corner only to see the strike acrobatically turned over the bar by Smallwood.

Of course it was not all one way traffic. Roman Glass St George have been one of there league's most accomplished sides for quite a few years and are capable of some fabulous first touch interplay which moves them quickly and effectively forward.
As the game progressed the Saltmen had to compete hard to break up Glass forays forward, but their resilience was effective and Droitwich goalkeeper Dom Rogerson remained all but a spectator for large swathes of the first 45.

Half time arrived with the game still goalless.

After the break, Spa took a more cautious approach, preferring to sit deeper than they had in the first period, inviting Glass to crank up the pressure on the visiting back four.

Spa found it increasingly difficult to retain possession as they cleared their lines and Glass launched wave after wave of attacks on the Spa goal.
The rearguard action held firm in an increasingly fractious second half with tempers threatening to be lost.

However, among the drama the 70th minute saw a relatively innocuous cross be uncharacteristically lost by Dom Rogerson leaving Neikell Plummer with one of the easier finishes he will convert this season.
The Glass had a lead they would not relinquish.

The closing stages saw the game lose a lot of its shape.
Spa persevered but attempts to salvage a point we’re dealt a further blow when midfielder Nathan Binner was shown a straight red card for a two footed challenge which, although he won the ball cleanly, was deemed by the referee to have been foul play.
Manager Townsend rang the changes but the fresh legs could not forge a clear-cut opportunity and the hosts hung on to take the points on a day when the only thing hotter than the weather were some of the heads.