A convincing 7-1 victory for England Veterans’ Over 55’s against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday 15th February in Berkshire.

The scoreline didn’t reflect the competitive opening stages – the first 30 minutes were tightly contested and a superb save from England keeper Darren Steadman kept the scores level.

England took control just before the break as two well-worked goals from Tony Speight sent the hosts into half-time with a deserved 2-0 lead.

The second half was largely one-way traffic. Debutant Robin Cousins made an immediate impact, adding two goals. Man of the Match, David Gipp also got on the scoresheet alongside Richard Preston, before Mark Saggers volleyed home the seventh following a flowing team move.

To their credit, Republic of Ireland kept going until the final whistle and were rewarded with a last minute consolation goal rounding off an entertaining and sporting encounter.

Our thanks to the match officials and to Bracknell Town FC for use of their excellent facilities.

The game counts towards an England Veterans’ Over 55’s representative Cap.