Date:                                       Venue:                                 
  10/09/2011                            St Peters

 Referee:                                 J Falla

Vale Recreation got their 2011/12 season off to a flyer with a 3-0 away victory over Sylvans.

Blair Howitt opened the scoring on 36 minutes with a 20-yard strike at St Peters.

Tom De Garis added a second after the break and the points were secured thanks to another superb shot from Howitt.

Geoff Robinson and Naro Zimmerman returned in defence and Glenn Le Tissier in midfield.

With Robinson and Zimmerman back, Martin Gaudion decided to start with Tom De Garis and Dave Cusack up front in a 4-4-2 line-up. Le Tissier and Howitt provided the width from the wings, with Ozanne and Byrne operating in the middle of the park.

Vale quickly set about taking the game to their opponents and forced a free-kick after ten minutes, from which Pengelley's shot flashed back across the goal.

Sylvans started to turn up the pressure over the next ten minutes with three attempts on the Vale goal but Bisson saved the first effort with the others going wide.

Le Tissier then had a shot deflected and saved and on 26 minutes, Cusack had to be replaced by Ross Hanley after injuring an ankle.

The home side continued to attack and again came close with a couple of efforts, both going wide of the Vale post.

Up the other end, Howitt's free-kick was deflected and Zimmerman headed wide from the resulting corner.

It was now Vale's turn to turn up the pressure and on 36 minutes, Howitt opened the scoring with a crisp strike from the edge of the 18-yard box.

The first-half ended with Vale attacking strongly forcing two corners in which Hanley had a shot saved and Zimmerman's  header could only find the side netting.

 Sylvans came close to an equaliser early in the second-half but Zimmerman did well to block.

Vale were desperately seeking to extend their lead and were eventually rewarded for all their hard work on 63 minutes when De Garis latched on to a superb ball from the impressive Le Tissier and blasted in to make it 2-0.

Howitt came close almost immediately from the re-start when after winning the ball back he unleashed a thunderbolt from all of 40-yards which scrape off the top of the bar.

Five minutes later though he did get his second to make it 3-0 with another sweet strike from the edge of the area.

Sylvans cranked up the pressure again and Bisson was forced to save from close range.

As the latter stages approached Harry Stephens and Jack Tacon came off the bench to replace Byrne and De Garis and Vale saw the game out to get their season off to the best possible start.  

 Vale Rec: Bisson, Robinson, Woodhead, Zimmerman, Pengelley, Byrne (Stephens 76), Ozanne, Le Tissier, De Garis (Tacon 83), Cusack (Hanley 26), Howitt

Subs: Rumens, Guilbert

Goals: Howitt (36, 75), De Garis (63)

 Referee: Mr J Falla