Dial got their new 2026/27 Southern Combination Football Division One season off to a positive start this afternoon [8 Aug] after narrowly beating East Preston 1-0 at Redding Way. 

A third-minute header from Daniel Cenzano proved to be the difference in west Woking, as Steve Brown was happy to settle for the win and a clean sheet before his side turn their attention to the league cup and FA Vase competitions next week.

Despite both teams' best endeavour, it was a scrappy opening league game on a hard, bobbly pitch, resulting in numerous misplaced passes and possession changing hands in a blink of an eye. 

Following Dial's promotion from the Surrey Premier County Football League last season, Brown included eight players from last season inthe starting XI, bolstered by new signings Daniel Wanyonyi, Adam Aziz(re-signed) and Joseph Apeni across the thirds. 

But it was Cenzano - a Dial faithful - who scored Dial's opening goal when the striker latched onto a slick lofted pass from George Frith to head the ball over Matt Gibb from 10 yards. 

Aziz was inches away from making it 2-0 when his shot clipped the post, forcing the visitors to scramble the ball to safety. The West Sussex side weren't without their chances, though, when Eliot Millman found himself one-on-one with George Mead from eight yards.

Fortunately for Dial, the striker's delayed shot was brilliantly charged down by Apeni on the quarter-of-an-hour-mark.

The villagers continued to press in search for an equaliser; and when a cross came into the box shortly after the water break, Zion McLeod couldn't get over the ball to guide his header on target from close range. Luwayne Greenwood then saw his shot deflected wide for a corner. 

At the other end, Aziz and Cenzano both outmanoeuvred their markers in separate advances before the interval, but neither managed to find a way past Gibb who stood his ground well to narrow the angle. 

Dial continued to give away possession cheaply in the second period, with McLeod sliding the ball past Mead - and the wrong side of the post - just three minutes after the restart. Morgan Day then shot through a crowd of players, only to see his effort bounce agonisingly wide. 

With the visitors gaining momentum, Samuel Hack squandered aprime opportunity to level the scores two minutes later after taking too longto adjust his feet in the box. It enabled Mead to easily gather the final tame shot. 

The increased pressure prompted Brown to make four changes in the remaining 30 minutes, which helped the hosts to steady the ship and begin to take the game to the visitors. And while several set pieces came and went, Dial managed to see-out a hard-fought 1-0 victory. 

Speaking after the match, Brown said: "I thought the pitch and conditions were a real leveller. Although, on a better surface, I think we would have won comfortably.

"It was a disjointed display, but I thought it might be with players away at different times over the summer. I was pleased though with the players' application and attitude, which gives us something to build on over the coming weeks." he added.

DIAL SQUARE: Mead, Apeni (Abbey), Abraham-Barlow, Norman (Adjei), Hayes, Ewen, Lawrence (Atkin), Frith, Aziz (Oyebola), Wanyonyi, Cenzano. Unused sub: Taylor