LISS started the new season without any of last year’s first team playing, so the basis of the side was made up from the triumphant reserve team.

Their manager Nick Jewell was also in the new setup, and was a tremendous help to new Liss manager, Rob Doig, in getting to grips with strengths and weaknesses.

The game started with Liss on the back foot looking like a team who had not really played together that frequently. QK started as if they meant business, passing the ball well but with no real cutting edge.

Tom Menaldino went in for a tackle eight minutes in. Although he got up quickly enough, he had to come off. After a quick visit to Southampton General, it was established that he had dislocated a toe in the challenge. Ben McQuillian came on and moved into his normal position at right back, Jason Mott going to Menaldino’s position at right midfield.

This seemed to give Liss a better balance, and they started to play some slick football. On 25 minutes Garvey received the ball on the left wing, took on his player and got into the box before narrowly putting the ball wide.

Some tremendous work by the midfield pairing of Gordon and Badcock put Harris through to calmly place the ball under the keeper for 1-0.

Liss could have doubled the lead after 40 minutes with Northcott narrowly going wide from an acute angle.

The second half started with QK looking as if they had been given a rocket at the halftime team talk. Ten minutes in, Bamber had to be withdrawn with a niggling groin injury that had been bugging him all pre-season. Booker came on and played some decent football. Just after the hour pressure finally told and QK got the equaliser.

This only seemed to spur Liss on and Harris could have had a second from a brilliant cross from Northcott. Liss got their reward after 72 minutes when the ball was played through to Harris, who took an early speculative shot from fully 35 yards that caught everybody by surprise and ended up in the back of the net.

Liss captain Stephenson was absolutely awesome winning everything in the air, alongside Humphries in the defence who managed to clear everything on the floor. Liss gave away a silly free-kick right on fulltime from which there was a mix-up in the Liss defence and the QK midfielder had a free header, to make it 2-2 at the final whistle.

Manager Doig said: “There are a lot of positives to be taken from the match, considering that most of the team had not played together until four weeks ago. Hopefully Liss will get stronger and as familiarity grows the players will become a better and stronger team.”

Liss: Cawley, Mott, Stephenson, Humphries, Bamber, Menaldino, Badcock, Gordon, Garvey, Northcott, Harris. Subs: Khoali, Parks, Booker, Borowiak, McQuillian.