On a hot season opening day in Yokohama BEFC gave SUNS FC a warm welcome to Division 2 with an outstanding 8 - 1 demolition. With the full team back from the off-season we were waiting if pre-season training and intentions to be a Division 1 team was going to shine versus a former Division 1 outfit.
The entire team put in an outstanding and disciplined performance that smothered and broke apart SUNS who had very little to offer against an intense BEFC onslaught. Consequently when MOM nomination time arose over post-match drinks it was going to be a tricky one. There was plenty to talk about with Ewan Walton's rock-tastic display at center back, and Kentaro Takahashi back to his hat-trick scoring magic -- but it was midfield monster James Pounder who got the final nods to be Adecco BEFC Man of the Match. Playing a holding role in midfield, Pounder won everything in the air kicked into the middle and headed anything delivered into the BEFC box from set pieces. In the middle of the park he hunted down and destroyed SUNS attempts to build up and run through the center -and especially noted was his constant communication in keeping the team shape and organisation humming. Then of course was his finishing two important and early goals with some Lampardian late arrivals in the box to smash it past the goalie. This classic performance duly noted by the team and makes James Pounder the first Adecco BEFC Man of the Match for TML 14.