After succumbing to a disappointing loss last weekend, Ewell played host to Crescent Rovers 'A' on a slightly overcast afternoon at Nescot. It had looked as if Ewell's matchday squad would be equally threadbare when only 11 players were available by late Friday evening, yet substitutes Kelly and Keogh were drafted in to bolster their ranks, both making an impact when coming off the bench.
Ewell enjoyed the majority of the possession during the opening stages, enabling them to fashion a few half chances, but two particularly bizarre moments in the first half an hour stood out. The first of these incidents arose when Chipperton chased a lost cause and dispossessed the opposition keeper near to the corner flag, and whilst he did not get sufficient elevation when crossing for Hitch, the backpedaling keeper thwarted the opportunity by handling outside his area. The second moment of madness saw the referee blow up after Clancy had clearly been bundled over in the penalty area, yet to Ewell's disbelief they were granted an indirect free-kick instead of a penalty. It seemed as if the half would fizzle out without a goal until Bullock produced a measured pass that dissected the away team's defence and picked out Keogh's run perfectly, but unfortunately for them the finish did not match the quality of the pass or run. 
Ewell were rarely troubled in the first half and this continued after the restart, meanwhile they began to look increasingly threatening going forward. They eventually took the lead when Keogh glanced a near post header towards Kelly from Chipperton's cross, though Kelly still had a lot to do with the finish, but he steered it expertly into the top corner with a left foot volley. Reluctant to sit back and soak up pressure, Ewell pressed on in the search of further goals, carving out several notable opportunities in the process. Clancy rattled the cross bar with a dipping effort from range, Cooper failed to provide a finish after a lung-busting run and neat one-two on the edge of the box and Hitch almost executed an inch perfect bicycle kick, meaning the game remained delicately poised.
Their desire to put the game out of sight came back to haunt them as Ewell were too cavalier in their approach and were ultimately left exposed when the away team launched a rare counter attack. Whilst there can be no arguments that the goal was well-taken, it was a hammer blow to Ewell as they had dominated throughout and ought to have put the game to bed. However, the performance was a much improved one and Ewell will have an opportunity to make amends in a fortnight’s time when the sides meet again, though their next challenge will be posed by Greenside next week in their penultimate game before Christmas.