Published: 11 September, 2014
by STEVE BARNETT

HAT-TRICK hero Steven Bruce ensured champions Cobden Athletic started their season with a win in Division One of the Camden Sunday League. 

Looking to land their fourth title on the spin, Cobden were given a glimpse of the competition they can expect to face throughout this campaign as they were pushed all the way by a resilient Enate side at the weekend. 

Bruce opened the scoring after just three minutes, courtesy of a deflected free-kick, but Cobden were soon pegged back by Enate. Bruce restored the lead from the penalty spot but again Enate hit back to level the scores. 

When Jacob Bond hit the post, midway through the second half, the Cobden players couldn’t be blamed for thinking it wasn’t going to be their day.

But Bruce quickly turned their fears to cheers as he capped a man-of-the-match display by completing his hat-trick and earning Dave Willis’s side a thrilling 3-2 victory. 

Overall there was no end to the excitement on the opening day with the 10 fixtures across the three divisions at Hackney Marshes producing an impressive 51 goals. 

FC Lotus were the biggest winners in division two as they beat Clerkenwell Old Boys 7-0, while in division three newcomers MKA East started their season with a pulsating 4-3 victory over seasoned campaigners Surreal Madrid.