Phoenix Sports endured a tough afternoon on Saturday, falling to a 5-0 defeat away at Merstham.
The match began with early opportunities for Phoenix, notably in the 8th minute when debutant Yanick Kissi connected with an inswinging corner, only to be denied by Merstham keeper Ben Tolfrey.
Phoenix continued to push, with Deshane Dalling slicing wide from just outside the box in the 26th minute, and Kissi sending a dangerous ball across the face of goal soon after.
However, the breakthrough went Merstham’s way in the 35th minute when Sam King found space and curled a 25-yard strike into the top corner, leaving Phoenix trailing.
It was the start of a disastrous eight-minute spell for Phoenix, as Merstham quickly doubled their lead three minutes later. The unopposed Matt Drage volleyed in from a near-post corner to make it 2-0.
It got even worse for Phoenix when Aidan Brown added a third for the hosts in the 43rd minute, capping off a challenging opening 45 minutes.
Phoenix’s struggles continued in the second half, conceding a penalty in the 52nd minute after a foul by Kissi, which Charlie Greenwood converted to make it 4-0.
Phoenix’s best second-half effort came from Kiye Martin, whose free-kick narrowly missed the target before Marvin Herschel raced through but couldn’t beat Tolfrey.
Merstham sealed the game in the final moments, with Aaron Smith-Joseph racing through to score the fifth in stoppage time.
Despite an encouraging start, Phoenix were left frustrated and will look to bounce back with a trip to Cray Wanderers in the Kent Senior Cup on Tuesday.