Returning to league action after a lengthy festive break, the Ops travelled to face a Marden side against whom they had earnt a last gasp draw in the first game of the season. Following their humbling away at Burnt Ash in early December, the Ops were determined to start the second half of the season on the front foot. Despite the limited warm-up time, the Ops were quick out of the blocks. Down the right flank, Colin Fernandez-Grant, Daniel Andrews and Tendai Nyika linked well, with Andrews jr and Nyika showing pace and skill to pressure the Marden defence. Down the other flank, Dougie Ferguson, Guillaume Michotte and Ben Taylor were resilient in defence, and quick to turn to attack whenever the chance presented itself. With Ross Dryburgh, Paul Andrews, Martin Ritchie and Ray Semadeni giving the team a strong spine, the Ops dominated the early exchanges. They soon opened the scoring when Semadeni pounced on a loose ball in the Marden D to fire home a thunderous strike. This was followed shortly after by two Dryburgh short corner strikes in quick succession, with Taylor adding a fourth at the back post to make it 4-0 inside 20 minutes. With Josh Scooter and AJ Vignaux providing fresh impetus, the Ops were cruising and playing some scintillating stuff, looking dangerous with every attack. At the back, Charlie Milligan in goal marshalled his defence well, and made a couple of important saves to keep the Russets at bay. At half time the message was simple - more of the same. The second half started in a more cagey fashion, with the Russets determined to get into the game, but the Ops defence remained steadfast, releasing the willing runners down the flanks to keep the Ops pushing forward. Despite the pressure, the next goal was not forthcoming, until the veteran Ritchie forced home after a goalmouth melee, to open his account for the season. A sixth goal followed soon after with Michotte notching with a close range finish. The extended layoff, and perhaps a bit of over-indulgence over Christmas, saw both teams flagging slightly as the game entered the final 15 minutes, but the Ops were determined to chalk up just their second clean sheet of the season and they held out to do so. A great start to the second half of the league campaign, with skipper Andrews very pleased with the skill, teamwork and tenacity of his team