A round-up of pre-season games involving Blue Square Bet teams played on Friday night....
Leyton Orient striker Scott McGleish hit a 7-minute hat trick as the npower League One outfit cruised to a 5-0 friendly win at St Albans City on Friday night.
Alex Revell opened the scoring for the O's with a fine individual goal in the eighth minute and Orient put the game beyond their Blue Square Bet South opponents in a blistering 8 minute spell just before the break.
McGleish slotted home his first in the 37th minute following Revell's cut-back and made it 3-0 after hitting the post with an initial shot five minutes later.
The Londoners made it 4-0 before half time when McGleish lobbed the ball home after finding himself in plenty of space. Matthew Spring rounded off the scoring nine minutes from full-time with a 25-yard rocket.
Millwall took an 8th minute lead from the penalty spot against Blue Square Bet Premier side AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow when ex-Conference striker Steve Morison cracked the ball past keeper Seb Brown after Shaun Batt had been fouled in the box by Brett Johnson.
That proved the only goal of the night as the Dons recovered to compete well against the npower Championship new boys.
Blue Square Bet North newcomers Boston United kicked-off their pre-season schedule with a single goal success over Blue Square Bet Premier new boys Grimsby Town.
Winger Ryan Semple netted inside the opening 2 minutes for the only goal of the game.
One of the Blue Square Bet Premier title-favourites, Crawley Town, looked impressive as they hammered Blue Square Bet South hosts 6-0 at the Jewson Avenue Stadium.
The visitors took the lead inside 4 minutes as captain Adam Quinn tucked home a Steve Masterton corner. And it was 3-0 by the midway stage of the first half with Liam Enver-Marum bagging a double.
Crawley were gifted a fourth 8 minutes into the second period. Substitute Byron Napper was denied on the line by Charlie Knight but the Magpies’ triallist, who made a successful goalline clearance in the first half, saw his hack rebound off replacement keeper Regan Coward and into the net.
Enver-Marum (pictured) grabbed his hat trick on the hour before Napper completed the rout in the 73rd minute.
Newly-promoted Blue Square Bet Premier Newport County continued their preparations with a 1-0 win at Zamaretto League Division One South & West hosts Bishops Cleeve.
The only goal was scored by Craig Reid in the 42nd minute after good work from Paul Bignot and Charlie Henry in the build-up, but County squandered several chances to add to the score while Cleeve’s Kevin Slack was twice denied by Keiron Blackburn before half time.
Football League opposition left Melbourne with only a draw to show for their night’s endeavours as a goal from Anthony Cook earned Glenn Pennyfather’s Chelmsford City a well-deserved draw against Stevenage Borough, though the City Head Coach felt his team had done more than enough to emerge victorious from the contest.
Cook’s 58th minute strike, which rounded off a glorious passing move, put Chelmsford’s experimental side into a lead which was preserved until late in the game when Charlie Griffin levelled from distance. Though Pennyfather was able to offer game time to 20 players on the night and was as delighted with the performances of his existing players as he was to run the rule over a posse of potential signings for the new campaign.
He explained: “It was a good workout. They are a strong side and proved that last year by winning the Conference, which is a tough league. They are a big, strong, uncompromising side with good strength in depth and I was pleased with how we played tonight - we played when we could play. It was the first game of the season for us and it was their third so I was pleased with our fitness levels and concentration.”
City were without striker Rob Edmans and defender Ben Nunn, who both sustained minor knocks in training the night before and were not risked, while skipper Dave Rainford was on a family holiday. Forward Sam Higgins is still a week or two away from his return after an operation while there were new faces on trial in Ahmed Dean at left-back, goalkeeper James Pullen and Korean right midfielder Kim Jingo.
Ricky Modeste looked lively throughout the first period and it was the City youngster who crafted the first effort at goal, fending off an 11th-minute challenge on his way through before shooting weakly at goalkeeper Chris Day. Six minutes later it was the turn of Matthew Lock to register an attempt though his strike from distance flew over.
The two then combined with 32 minutes played as Modeste speedily raced past Stacy Long who crudely wrestled him down with only the ‘keeper to beat. From the resulting free kick, Lock’s effort was too high and the only remaining act of the half was for Long himself to crack a left-footer inches wide of the near angle from the edge of the box.
After half-time it was the hosts who grabbed the early initiative and they took the lead in sublime fashion just prior to the hour mark. Lock’s splendid, inch-perfect cross field pass from left to right picked out Modeste who nicked the ball inside to the arriving Cook and he nonchalantly swept the ball into the bottom corner, rounding-off a tidy move.
In a second half dominated by regular substitutions it was difficult to generate a rhythm though a 66th-minute delivery from the right forced Day to try and claim from above former Stevenage midfielder John Martin’s head and the loose ball which followed was hit goalbound by Ahmed Dean only to see it blocked and cleared away.
Chelmsford produced some neat, possession football for spells during this period though their earlier goal brought an extra gear out of Graham Westley’s team and substitute Chris Dickson dribbled the ball round another replacement, City ‘keeper Shane Gore, close to the corner flag. His cross would have been troublesome had it not been obstructed.
The visitors did get on the score sheet, though, with 9 minutes left as Griffin found space outside the penalty area to strike in off the foot of the post for an equaliser. This frustrated Pennyfather, who felt his side were good value for a win. But, despite a heavier than anticipated rotation of his squad – Anthony Finn was announced as a signing of Bromley’s earlier in the day – he remained optimistic about the season ahead.
Pennyfather stated: “We’ve had a turnaround of personnel for various reasons and there have been lots of new faces. There was a big rebuild last year and I was hoping it wouldn’t be as big a rebuild this year but there are lots of players available and as long as players are sensible we want to get the best we possibly can and compete. You can see tonight that we talk about desire a lot but they’ve got quality as well and it’s an exciting time.”
“If players become available, whatever the position, if they can improve our team and it fits within our budget then fantastic. I’ve got one or two faces I’m very interested in but I think also experience is important. If I can get one or two experienced heads alongside the younger boys it will certainly make a massive difference. We will be running with a small squad but we’re hopeful it will be a squad of quality.”
Goals from Ryan Hayes after 58 minutes and Adam Burchell with 17 minutes to play earned Blue Square Bet South new boys Dartford an excellent 2-0 Princes Park success over Southend United.
The Essex visitors, under new management in Paul Sturrock, refused to allow the names of their players to be revealed, although it is known that at least eight of those on duty were first-team squad members.
