CLACTON started the season brightly with a solid, energetic, disciplined, and clinical performance that dominated their below par rivals Redbridge and Ilford.

The Seasiders were confident in possession and made plenty of short passes to break down the opponents with a very welcomed boost to the squad in the form of three solid performing debutants, Shane Walker, Mat Timms, and Sam Jenner.

Elliot Steele was in inspired form, terrorising the opposition with his trickery and opportunist shooting. He saw a number of chances going just wide of the post with the keeper left watching.

Clacton turned their early dominance into pressure and earned a number of short corners, with the collective defence only conceding one short corner all game.

It took a defensive error from captain Carl Parkes to gift the home side an opportunity that they happily accepted.

That just concentrated the Seasiders and Russell Measor equalised seconds later after some neat work down the left from man-of-the-match Shane Walker for Measor to deflect in, nutmegging the keeper.

Moments later the Seasiders took the lead as Steele kept a broken down short corner alive, exchanging passes with Carl Parkes before picking out Measor to slap in his and Clacton’s second for a 2-1 lead at half-time.

The home side’s best opportunity was their only short corner which was saved on the line by an audacious stop by Kieron Parkes.

The second half saw Clacton take a few moments to get going and the home side forced the ball to go goalbound via a number of deflections before a tackle sent the ball looping high over the helpless Michael Hook for 2-2.

It was Steele that then took the game to the opposition with a solo run and a composed finish over the diving keeper to put Clacton 3-2 up.

Again the home side somehow managed to find themselves with the ball in the back of the net, with a goal given after the umpires conferred.

Clacton re-took the lead when they converted a training ground short corner routine with Tom Sinclair scoring his first goal in two seasons with a well-placed slap shot for 4-3.

When Walker ghosted down the left again and attacked the circle, Steele was on hand to locate and lift the ball over the beaten keeper and into the net for a well-deserved 5-3 win and a great start to the new campaign.