Harleston Town fell to a 2-0 defeat on the opening day of the season away at Ely City, with a lack of cutting edge in the final third proving costly despite spells of promising football and several strong individual performances.

There was plenty of optimism going into the game following the summer arrivals of Shane Cox, Tom Huckerby, Ollie Sutton, Max Willett, Alfie Bell and Archie Gilmour. Five of those new signings featured in the starting XI, along with the returning Charlie Hitch and new captain Joe Manning.

Town lined up with Sutton in goal, a backline of Hitch, Cox, Huckerby, Bell, Manning, Rob Turner, Josh Durham, Archie Gilmour Robbie Turner in midfield and Spencer Cawcutt leading the line.

The game began in typical first-day fashion—frantic and high-paced. Town had the first effort of note in the 13th minute when good work by Archie Gilmour allowed Turner to fire goalward, but his shot was deflected over for a corner.

Town continued to probe, and on 23 minutes, Alfie Bell did well down the flank before setting up Turner again, whose strike was again blocked.

Moments later, Durham’s ball into the box nearly found Shane Cox at the back post, but it flashed across the face of goal. Ely almost struck on the counter, but the full-back’s delivery evaded everyone in red.

Town’s best spell came just after the half-hour mark. Gilmour, impressive throughout, combined neatly with Nathan Page to release Durham, but his shot flew over the bar.

Despite being on top, Town fell behind in the 34th minute. A miscommunication between Huckerby and Bell allowed Ely’s No. 8—who impressed all afternoon—to pounce and finish calmly past Sutton. It was a goal against the run of play and a harsh blow for a Town side that had created the better chances up to that point.

Ely gained momentum after the goal, going close twice more—first a header from a corner just wide, then two efforts just before the break, both dealt with well by Sutton, who was a strong presence between the posts throughout.

Half-time: Ely City 1-0 Harleston Town

Despite some slick interplay, particularly between Robbie Turner and the standout Archie Gilmour, Town struggled to convert their build-up into clear chances. Huckerby made way at the break, replaced by Olly Ebbage.

Town came out firing after the restart, clearly reacting to manager Matt Halliday’s team talk. Ebbage went close with a header just over the bar on 50 minutes after a pinpoint cross from Durham.

Charlie Hitch, making his long-awaited return in Town colours, went close on 63 minutes with a well-struck effort that was bravely blocked. Hitch was solid at right-back throughout and looked right at home once again.

As the game wore on, Town pushed forward but continued to lack that killer ball or decisive moment in front of goal.

Their hopes were dashed in the 90th minute when Ebbage brought down Ely’s Jack Friend in the box. The referee showed a red card to the Town defender, and the resulting penalty was calmly dispatched to make it 2-0.

Full-time: Ely City 2-0 Harleston Town

Despite the defeat, there were positives to take—none more so than the debut performance of Archie Gilmour, who earned the Cornerstone Man of the Match award. He was bright, dangerous one-on-one, and one of the few players who consistently looked capable of unlocking the Ely defence.

Next up for Town is a tough away trip to Thetford Town in the Thurlow Nunn Premier League . Matt Halliday will no doubt be looking for a strong response, with the lack of creativity in the final third now a key area for improvement.