After an uneasy start to the seasons campaign, a strong Icarus side assembled at Cranwell, to compete against the college for the rediscovered Burma trophy. On a clear crisp morning, and following an apt speech by Icarus legend Rob Swinney, both teams embarked in a minutes silence to remember fallen comrades before getting the game underway. With Icarus winning the toss, it was the side wearing their 'famous' maroon jerseys, which started the proceedings. The opening 20 minutes saw both sides have their fair share of possession, however due to well organized and committed defending from both teams, there were no real goal scoring opportunities.

Approaching the half hour mark it was Icarus, opting for the preferred 3-5-2 formation as apposed to the College's 4-4-2 set up, who started to apply increased pressure. With strong running from Jim Schofield in the middle of the park, and Dan Turner getting the better of the College left full back, it wasn't too long until Icarus made the pressure count.> With Icarus maintaining possession deep in their own half, and drawing the college team forward, a quick interchange of passing between McIntosh, Rutherford and Schofield saw Dan Turner skip away from his marker to finish well and give Icarus the lead in the 34th minute.

Although going a goal down, it was the College who responded more positively after the restart, pinning Icarus back into their own half with some good spells of possession. With the College encouraging players forward, and their defenders playing a dangerously high line, the door was open for an Icarus counter attack. Despite the precision passing from both Lowe and Fisher in defence, the College were riding their luck at keeping the score at 1-0, with Hodgkinson and Bond both coming close to extending the scoring. It wasn't before long until the second Icarus goal did come, however this time it was from a well worked set piece, with Icarus winning a corner from yet another counter attack. Rich Lowe delivered a pin point cross, which was met powerfully by a Jim Schofield header in the 6 yard box, making it 2-0 in the 39th minute. With the pressure relieved slightly, the Icarus players were able to keep their composure and stifle a College fight back until the half-time whistle.

With a much needed water break, and a positive reflection on the first half by both McIntosh and Swinney, Icarus returned to the field with the intention of sealing the victory with Dave Bond being replaced by James Renders. The College team to their credit, began the much brighter side after the interval, making life difficult for the Icarus players. After a scrappy and pretty uneventful 15 minute spell, it was Icarus who tried to inject some drive back into the performance, by replacing Shane Rutherford and Gary McIntosh with Andrew Martin-Tonks and newcomer David Scott.

After a quick reshuffle, which saw Schofield drop into the back 3 alongside Lowe and Fisher, Icarus soon began to enjoy increased possession and again pressurize the College defence. A neat passing move involving Martin-Tonks, Scott and Fisher saw Jim Schofield put clear inside the penalty box, only to be bundled over by the College left full back, with the referee having no choice but to award the penalty.

Never one to shy away from adding to his goal scoring tally, Schofield picked himself up and stepped up to take the spot kick, only to see his effort blaze high and over the crossbar. With Icarus now on the back foot, and still reeling from the recent penalty miss, it was the College side who seized their opportunity to get back in the game. A positive move down the Icarus left flank went unchallenged, resulting in a deep cross being met powerfully by the onrushing College striker, whose header left Vinny Jackson with no chance in the Icarus goal.

Frustrated at conceding with only 15 minutes remaining, Icarus restarted the game with a more determined and composed approach, in an attempt to stay on top. With the College again pressing forward encouraged by their late goal, Icarus were once more able to counter attack, leaving the game beyond doubt. A long ball from deep in the Icarus half saw Hodgkinson shield the ball, only to draw the foul from a College midfielder, roughly 35 yards from goal.

David Scott stepped up to deliver an accurate cross towards Ben Fisher, who knocked the ball down to Andrew Martin-Tonks, to finish calmly passed the onrushing College keeper. With the score now reading 3-1 in Icarus' favor, the College team were deflated and had almost accepted defeat, with barely 10 minutes left on the clock. The remainder of the match was played out with no major talking points. Following the final whistle and respectful handshakes, both teams gathered for the presentation of the coveted Burma trophy. Due to both Gino Portaluri and Vinny Jackson both winning their 50th Caps for the Club, it was Gino wearing the Captain's armband who stepped up to be awarded with the silverware, with Vinny opting for the modest approach! On reflection, the fixture was a physical and gritty affair, however did provide the spectators with some good football and a fair share of goals.

Team: Jackson, Turner, Arnison, McIntosh, Lowe, Fisher, Rutherford (Scott), Rutherford (Render), Portaluri, Hodgkinson, Bond (Martins-Tonks)