Captain Ollie Browne will be more than pleased with this result; a great team performance from the Dragons with some excellent passing and good movement against a strong opposition now leaves the skipper with a selection headache with competition for places really hotting up as the first league game approaches.
Edwyn Sarsby in goal was by no means overworked, but a solid performance which included a superb diving save capped off a man of the match performance on debut.
Too often last season the Dragons had looked sluggish if not even a little nervous at the start of games, not so today; as a back 4 of Browne, Brewer, Downie and Clarkson stepped up swiftly, transferring the ball across the pitch to exploit the space Felixstowe were allowing them. Brewer in particular must have been sporting a particularly offensive brand of deodorant as not one of the Felixstowe midfielders seemed to want to come within 10 metres of him, allowing him to feed Downie and Clarkson at will as they pushed up the flanks to support Howitt and Dodds.
In the initial exchanges, Felixstowe came closest, a short corner drag flick, blocked by the #1 runner's kneecap, with the re-take whistling inches wide of Sarsby's upright was a warning sign for the Dragons, but it was Tom Everton who opened the scoring with a close range reverse hit.
Marshalled at the back by ex-Bourne Deeping stalwart Andrew Cannings, Felixstowe responded well, and were soon back on terms when a breakaway lead to some uncharacteristically chaotic defending which allowed the Felixstowe centre forward a smash at goal which flew chest high towards the danger zone before being clipped past Sarsby as Brewer executed a lovely late cut the retiring Alistair Cook would have been proud of.
More chances came and went, Browne dented the post with a short corner strike at one end, while Felixstowe looked certain to take the lead when the ball found it's way to an unmarked forward just 2 yards out, but Sarsby flung out a leg to deny him with the type of save that can only crush the spirit of the opposing forward!
The second half started slowly but soon the Dragons were back in their rhythm; Joe 'newguy' Youngs was obviously using the same deodorant as Brewer, with Felixstowe affording him his own 30 yard mini pitch to play in down the right, and he used this space to his full advantage linking up well with Dodds and Fountain down the right and Cook and Collins in midfield. James Sharpe was always going to score against his old club in the way returning players always do, and he did not disappoint as he gave the Dragons the lead with a smart finish. Towards the middle of the half, Bourne Deeping's large squad and ability to continually put on fresh legs all over the pitch was beginning to tell; Richard Arnold carried on where Howitt had left off, linking well with Downie on the left, Jamie Cooper was marauding forward from centre back, while George Collins and Robin Edlington both kept the Felixstowe keeper on his toes, and by midway through the second half, the Dragons were dominant as Felixstowe tired. Ben Slack's drag flick, low and hard into the right hand corner, made it 3-1, and Tom Everton capped a fine performance up front with his second to make it 4-1 at the end (just don't mention the lob from 5 yards out.....jug avoidance??)
A heartening display for the Dragons who may just now have a bit more belief that with the right attitude, they can more than hold their own this season.