As the football drought of the summer months came to and end, Harpenden Rovers Youth FC U13s ascended Mount Batford for the first game of the 2024/25 season, at home to Wymondley Park U13s. U13s also brought with it the step up to 11-a-side, larger pitches and goals.

The initial battle was to get the game on, considering the rabbits had had free reign over the summer months, constructing cavernous warrens on parts of the outfield. Two U11s games had already succumbed to a dangerous surface on the 9-a-side pitch. However, after 150L of topsoil had been deposited into rabbit holes of various sizes, the pitch was deemed playable.

The new season brought with it some changes to personnel, as Felix Fish and Archie Wheatley departed and the team welcomed new signings Aaron Rawnsley and William Barnes.

The game started at a frenetic pace, with Harry Barrett going through on the left and having efforts at goal twice in the first 3 mins. The Wymondley keeper making a good save from the first effort and Harry striking narrowly over from the second.

A minute later Aaron Rawnsley, debuting in goal in the absence of regular keeper Tim Watson, had to get down smartly to his right to tip a goal-bound effort around the post.

Rovers had the better of the initial exchanges, with Barrett going close from long-range and the keeper making another good save from Rovers' centre forward George O'Connor.

In the 10th minute the pressure told, with Rovers opened the scoring from a corner. Barrett swinging it into the danger zone, O'Connor nearly touching it in, before the ball fell to Luke Robinson to calmly strike home from short range.

Rovers continued to hold the advantage and press for the second, with Theo Faulkner firing a low effort just past the left-hand post and Oscar Bratt having a long-range effort well saved by the keeper. In the 20th minute O'Connor again got the better of the Wymondley defenders to go through on goal, but their keeper was quick off his line to thwart the danger.

Shortly after Rovers crafted a chance from an excellent move, Lucas Kirk playing Barrett in with an excellent through ball and only a last-ditch tackle able to prevent what would surely have been Rovers' top goal scorer of the last two seasons opening his account for 2024/25.

He didn't have to wait long. In the 24th minute, Rawnsley, having made a comfortable save from a Wymondsley effort, spotted Barrett free on the right approaching the halfway line, the defender misjudged the bounce of the ball and Barrett was through, striking into the left corner with customary composure.

Having gone 2-0 down the Wymondley manager had seen enough, changing the formation and calling for reinforcements from his bench. This had the desired effect, with Wymondley immediately coming more into the game. The lively Wymondley no.7 went clean through, but shot wide left from the right hand side of the box. Rawnsley then made a good save above his head from a strike outside the box.

But the pressure was mounting and in the 30th minute Wymondley broke clear again, this time they found the bottom corner, giving Rawnsley no chance.

The visitors, tails up from getting the goal back, continued to press for the equaliser, with only another save from Rawnsley and a miscue from the rebound keeping Rovers ahead at halftime.

The second half started as the first has finished, with Wymondley in the ascendancy and three minutes in they were level, with a smart finish across Rawnsley's goal from the left into the bottom corner, 2-2.

Two minutes later and it looked like Wymondley would be ahead with a carbon-copy of their second goal, however, this time the effort found the post and rebounded to safety.

In the 49th minute the continued pressure told, with Rawnsley making a smart save, but the ball rebounding to a Wymondley player for a tap-in to lead 2-3.

This soon became 2-4 following a break through the middle and a one-on-one finish that Rawnsley had no chance with.

Finding themselves two goals down from a 2-0 lead, Rovers' heads could have dropped and made the last 15 minutes easy for the opposition. However, they rallied and began to win the battles in the middle of the park.

This was demonstrated by Benji Searing putting his body on the line to thwart the Wymondley centre forward, who would otherwise have been in on goal.

In the 59th minute James Haunch won a battle in the centre circle, beating another two Wymondley players, the second of whom fouled him, although he didn't go to ground, and the referee initially played an advantage, however, when none was forthcoming he went back for the foul on the edge of the centre circle, 10 yards inside the Wymondley half.

Barrett, wearing no.10, and perhaps momentarily unsure whether he was playing football or rugby, approached his run-up like Owen Farrell and it seemed apparent that he was going to strike towards the goal from more than 40 yards out, much to the consternation of the Rovers' coaching team. Confirming the fears of the coaches, Barrett struck it goalward, as all present watched it sail into the top right-hand corner of the goal to cries of "leave it" from the Wymondley goalkeeper. A remarkable goal, even by Barrett's standards.

3-4. Game on.

Rovers began to push forward in search of an equaliser. In doing so, this left gaps at the back and Wymondley restored their two goal lead in the 63rd minute, breaking through the middle again and finishing well.

The lead nearly became unassailable in the 65th minute, it looked as though Wymondley were through again on the left, but Haunch, recovered his ground to make an excellent sliding tackle and put the ball out for a corner as it seemed certain that Rawnsley would be tested again.

With the game entering the final minutes, Rovers threw players into the opposition box, Will Mackie playing a ball across to James Haunch, whose shot was blocked, falling to Oscar Bratt, who thrashed the ball home from the middle of the box for 4-5.

That set up a grandstand finish. Suddenly Rovers flooded forward and Wymondley were on the back foot. Rovers having a lot of possession around the visitors' penalty box. As the game ticked into injury time, the pressure resulted in two late corners, both swung into dangerous areas, but equally, both excellently headed clear by the towering Wymondley no.4, with all Rovers' players, including Rawnsley, in the opposition box.

Although it is disappointing to start with a narrow loss, Rovers had enough chances to have been further ahead in the first half and could have found an equaliser at the death that would have been fully justified.

Good performances could be seen all over the pitch. However, the man-of-the-match award went to Fred Sargison, for his first half performance at left wing-back, a new position to him in a 3-5-1-1 formation.