Sam Sutton’s young charges started the season with a 3-0 victory over Barnsley College’s Sports Academy in a match played at the Dorothy Hyman Stadium.

Lennon O’Grady took the honour of being the scorer of the first competitive goal for the new U23s as Emley dominated possession and territory for large swathes of the first half. If anything there could, and probably should, have been a bigger lead by half-time.

However the introduction of free-scoring Jack Bennett mid-way through the second half brought two goals in almost as many minutes for the striker. The brace brought a much more fitting look to the scoreline given the assured Emley performance.

After the match Sutton said: “I'm really happy with the way the lads imposed our style on the game from the first minute to the last. A very good team performance to start the season with, however there are still a few aspects of the game we need to tighten up on as we continue to progress.”