PRE SEASON FRIENDLY
Att: 652
SUTTON UNITED – 0
BRENTFORD – 0
And so beginneth another season! Aren’t we all excited?
We all meet up in the Robin Hood for a pre-match pint or two before stumbling down to GGL for the game, and to catch a glimpse of our posh new floodlights. What is dissappointing is the rather sparse attendance. I thought we’d manage to break four figures for this one.
Ed Hutchinson appears in the Brentford line up for the first half. A side made up of fringe players and triallists. Our own line up is not too different from the one that ended last season. With a couple of new faces included. The most noticeable are Jon Palmer and Matty Fowler up front. Palmer is from Kings Lynn, whilst Fowler has less far to come from Coldsore Ave!
Other names in the proggy include Dominic Barclay (remember him?) and Damian Panter.
The match ambles along at a typical pre-season pace. With both sides knocking the ball around nicely on the unusually green GGL surface. The U’s just about have the better of things against the visitiors ‘possibles’ 11 and with around 10 minutes gone, a good ball is played through the Brentford defence and Jon Palmer nips in and slides his shot past Icelandic international ‘keeper Gottskalksson only to see it bounce back off the base of the near upright.
The visitors threaten little, despite having plenty of possession and playing some good passing football. This is probably down to thier not having played much together.
The only other real chance comes near the end of the half and again it falls to the U’s. A good move accross midfield finds it’s way to the left. Where (I think!) McCormack swings in a wicked curling effort. Gotts-whatsisface can only look on stranded as the ball loops towards the top far corner, only for him to be rescued by a last ditch headed clearance from under the crossbar. Bastards!
The second half sees the emergence of the Brentford ‘regulars’ line up with more of their first teamers taking part. The U’s also make changes with the wonderfully named Chuk Martini replacing Dunn in goal, Panter, Barclay & Matt Gray all appear. As does Nko Ekoku. Sadly for Mr Panter, his evening comes to an abrupt end only 10 minutes into the half as he appears to tweak his hamstring whilst turning to chase a through ball.
With the big boys playing, Brentford finally carve out a couple of openings. Ex-Slough bloke Lloyd Owusu screwing one early effort wide when 1 on 1 with Martini.
Not a great deal else happens for the remainder of the half apart from 2 decent chances for the visitors near the end. Mahon first sends a rocket of a shot accross Martini’s goal and just wide of the far upright and then with a couple of minutes to play hammers a 30 yarder straight at the mad monikered ‘keeper, which he manages to parry and gather at the second attempt.
So a 0-0 to kick things off with. Not a classic by any means, but it’s good to see our lads competing well with 2nd division regulars in that second half.
And you can’t knock a clean sheet from our lot. Friendly or no friendly!
TEAM : Dunn, Brooker, Boothe, Howard, Brown, R Palmer, J Palmer, Fowler, McCormack, Panter, Barclay, Gray, Honey, Dunne, Baker, Martini, Ekoku. (Apologies to anyone I’ve missed!)