It's always a good sign in football if you're not truly at your best but can still come away from games with a result. We dropped off the pace at times in this one and perhaps should have put the match to bed earlier on but still came away the victors. Bodes well....
We started well and troubled the Eccleshall defence as early as the 2nd minute when Rhys Webb glanced a header wide from a Ben Christopher free-kick.
Just five minutes later Joe Neild swung a free-kick just over the crossbar with Ruben Abreu then latching onto a Christopher pass on the 18th minute, advancing on goal down the left but managing to scoop his effort wide.
Eccleshall reminded us a couple of times that they weren't here to make up the numbers as we had to clear a couple of dangerous crosses via attacks down our flanks.
Rhys Webb
On the 24th minute we had carved out another opportunity as Tom Russell broke down the right before pulling back for Joe Neild only for the keeper to parry wide.
From the resulting corner we took a deserved lead as James Dunn goal-bound header was turned home from very close range by the lurking Rhys Webb.
Just six minutes later and we were in again. Ruben Abreu down the left this time, sending over an awkward bouncing cross that Remeece Brown looked certain to connect with but he just couldn't get his legs organised in time and the chance was gone.
There was time for Ruben himself to belt one just over the crossbar after some good work on the edge of the box before everybody retired for half-time.
Ruben Abreu, plus company
Within 60 seconds of the restart our lead had gone as Eccleshall caught us horribly cold with the first passage of play, drilling in a low ball from the right that was converted at the far post by Reece White.
We were licking our wounds for just six minutes as we regained the lead thanks to a moment of brilliance from Remeece Brown.
Out on the left wing he cut in sharply and quickly made ground. Everybody was expecting him to perhaps slide a pass into the penalty area but instead he unleashed an unstoppable effort from 25 yards out that the keeper could do nothing about.
"Remeece! Where did THAT come from?"
Not to be outshone, Ruben Abreu got in on the act on 72 minutes to break a period of the match where we had, to be frank, gone quite stale.
Coming in from the right he travelled along the outside of the area before arrowing an absolute pearler into the top corner from around 20 yards out.
As it had at Rylands, the two-goal cushion sparked a period of measured game management.
On 84 minutes great work by Callum Knight down the right saw him lay it off for Clooney with his first-time effort whistling over the crossbar.
With literally the last kick of the match Eccleshall reduced arrears. A lapse in concentration had allowed them to break clear and whilst Stuart Morrison was able to stop the first shot, he could do nothing about the rebound that was tucked home by Ahmadi.
Not that it mattered. Another win and a place at the top of the tree. Just rewards for what has been a solid start.
TEAM: Morrison, Neild, Ratican, Russell, Dunn, Delaney, Brown, Christopher, Webb, Clooney, Abreu. SUBS: Knight, Wallace, Shaw, Whiting (gk).
Reflecting on another job well done