New faces.
On a bright, sunny day, supporters of both teams soon realised that they would not know all the players representing their club for this opening day fixture, especially if they haven't got to see a pre-season fixture yet anyway.
The Crows had four new starters making their debuts, Johnson, Matthews, Taylor and Shea having joined in the close season and also had three players starting who previously played for the club, they being Hampson, Everest and Biddlecombe.
An opening day fixture crowd of around 350 for this A26 derby, a fair few coming from our "noisy neighbours" up the road, were certainly looking forward to the game but, in truth, it's fair to say that like most early season matches, it never quite lived up to the hype.
The Wells definitely settled quicker than the Crows and were on the front foot from the off, they enjoyed the lions share of possession and created the first real chance, debutant Beckett firing over the bar after good work by fellow debutant, Bell, down the Crow's right-hand side.
The Crows were also at fault for bringing pressure on themselves by trying to play their way out of trouble in the wrong area, normally at the back, with Wells forward, Izokun, always eager to rob a defender of the ball.
However, after weathering this early storm, the Crows started to get involved in the game more and started to push the visitors back towards their own goal. The accuracy and passing ability of Taylor came to the fore and Matthews was starting to become a thorn in the Wells' side down their right-hand side.
Carrington was inches away from giving the home side the lead after 14 minutes, a cross from the left was just a whisker away from his toes as he slid into the six yard box with no defender around him.
Unlike the away side, the Crows made their pressure count, Biddlecombe played an excellent ball through to Carrington who raced clear of the defence, beats the 'keeper Lawrence who then brought him down in the area.
Referee Owen had no hesitation in awarding the penalty whilst showing the forlorn-looking Lawrence a yellow card, the first of the game. Carrington picked himself up from the deck and duly smacked the ball home for a 1-0 lead to the Crows after 19 minutes.
Spaceman then received a yellow after 23 minutes for a blatant body-check on Biddlecombe, Shea seeing the free-kick blocked and then Johnson had a great run into the Wells penalty area which they just dealt with at a the cost of a corner.
The Crows were definitely in the ascendancy, Clarke hitting a dipping volley into the grateful arms of 'keeper, Lawrence and Biddlecombe fails to connect with a great cross from Shea on 31 minutes when well placed.
Beckett again wasted a good chance for the Wells, tamely heading wide when well placed, however, the Wells attacks were few and far between at this time as the Crows enjoyed the greater possession.
Taylor then picked up the Crows first yellow of the day, for persistent infringement of the laws in the 39th minute and then the Crows really should have gone 2-0 up, Clarke getting in the way of Carrington when it looked highly likely he was going to tap the ball into the net.
Just before half-time, Clarke took a free-kick and Everest headed just wide when well placed, so it was 1-0 as we went into the break, the Crows happier of the two sides and deservedly having the lead at this point.
Once the second half got underway, there being no substitutions at this juncture, it was evident that the respective management teams had seemingly said a few words during the break, probably not harsh ones, however, more tactical would be my guess, as players on both sides looked more to restrict the opposition from using any advantage they may have had first half and therefore, the match became a rather sterile affair.
Neither goalkeeper was troubled regularly enough to make the match an exciting one, the Crows looking, it seemed, to hold on to their 1-0 lead and the Wells looking to either free-kicks or corners as their only chance to score a goal.
A lot of the play was restricted to the midfield area where space and time were at a premium and therefore, there was not a lot of guile and creativity shown by either side in the middle third.
Some chances did arrive, normally from passes over 40/50 yards, Crows just clearing a good Wells' chance after 47 minutes and then in the 50th minute, Biddlecombe broke free from the defence but his shot just went the wrong side of the upright, as well as eluding the on-rushing Carrington, who then received a yellow card in the 53rd minute for persistent infringement of the laws of the game.
Both management teams then tried to change things around a bit therefore, substitutions became the order of the day, on 58 minutes, Izokun left the field of play to be replaced by McFarlane for the Wells and they made a further substitution in the 64th minute, Matias off and on came Parsons.
The replacements found the game just as tough and competitive as those that had departed and it all became a bit huff and puff, typical of the first match of the season in truth.
The Crows made their first change in the 69th minute, Taylor going off, seemingly with a tight calf, to be replaced by Callum Ridley. Bryant then receives a yellow for a foul, their third at the time.
In the 72nd minute Ridley fires just over from a free-kick, awarded after Clarke was rudely upended by a Wells defender, not for the first time, then Carrington bursts clear, following a Biddlecombe headed flick, but shoots narrowly wide of the upright.
On 80 minutes, Biddlecombe goes off and Death comes on as the Crows look to get that vital second goal, however, it was not to be and in fact it was the Wells who made the score 1-1 in the 84th minute.
Jagger tried to back head the ball to his goalkeeper, Hampson, however, his header hit the inside of the upright and went in.
The Crows immediately replaced Clarke and brought Ransome on, in the 85th minute and two minutes later, Fuller, the Wells' captain, picked up the club's fourth yellow card of the day, having brought Johnson down whilst he was in full flow.
Deep into added-on time, the Crows had one last chance, Ransome heading agonisingly wide from a corner.
1-1 it finished, probably the away side were happier about the result than the home side, as the balance of play was more with the Crows for longer periods but a point is better than nothing on the opening day.