Aldershot Town 2 Colchester United 1
Goals from Marvin Morgan and substitute Danny Hylton maintain Aldershot Town's 100% pre-season record.
Reaction from Kevin Dillon, Jermaine McGlashan and Wade Small is available on The Shots Online now.
A warm, but sometimes overcast afternoon provided Aldershot Town fans with both a 'first' and a 'last': it was the first opportunity to see new signings Jermaine McGlashan and Aaron Morris as well as being the last chance to see Kevin Dillon's new look side prior to the npower League Two season kicking-off next Saturday.
This was not only a clash of two Army towns, but one involving two sides that were unbeaten in pre-season as well as having prevented all of their summer opponents from scoring: Aldershot Town had five straight wins, whilst their npower League One opponents had the same amount of victories complemented by two draws.
Unusually for a pre-season game, Kevin Dillon named the same starting XI as last weekend, meaning that new boys Jamie Vincent, Luke Guttridge, Darren Jones, Glen Little and Manny Panther all started. Aaron Morris, Clayton Fortune, Jermaine McGlashan and Wade Small, who arrived at the EBB Stadium yesterday, all started on the bench as did trialist (and ex-Barnet forward) Jake Hyde.
Missing from the matchday squad were Jack Randall (broken ankle) and John Halls, who is still recovering from his long-standing groin injury.
Former Shots centre half Magnus Okuonghae and ex-loanee Ashley Vincent started the game for the near full-strength visitors.
As has been 'the norm' of late, Kevin Dillon's side adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation and both teams were quick to get into attacking positions. However, the majority of those early attacks were either cleared upfield or the ball went harmlessly out for goal kicks. As in last week's victory over Bristol City, the Shots played some nice one-touch football all over the pitch, with Glen Little being instrumental in several moves.
Apart from dealing with backpasses from their own defenders, neither keeper had anything to do until the 16-minute mark when a neat, multi-pass move from midfield led to a marauding Little passing to Marvin Morgan who, in turn, fed Luke Guttridge on the edge of the Colchester penalty area. Unfortunately, the ex-Northampton Town midfielder scuffed his shot and it was comfortably gathered by Colchester keeper Mark Cousins.
Four minutes later, though, the aforementioned Cousins was left grasping at air as the Shots took the lead. Guttridge carried the ball forward in the right-hand channel and played a short pass to Marvin Morgan on the edge of the visitors' penalty area. The big striker had his back to goal, so a return pass to Guttridge looked to be the obvious thing to do, but the big striker had other ideas: he turned his marker (Paul Reid), ran into the box and fired an exquisite left-foot shot past the despairing dive of Cousins. That strike was Marvellous Marvin's eighth goal of pre-season and the first of the same period to be conceded by the Us.
On 23 minutes, Anthony Straker nearly doubled the Shots' lead, when he let fly with a rasping left-footed shot from 20 yards that went just past right-hand upright.
The League One side drew level in the 28th minute. A Lloyd James corner from right was floated to the far post, where Marvin Morgan was on defensive duty. Everyone was expecting the big number 10 to put the ball out for a corner, but he tried to head the ball back to Jamie Young, succeeding only in misdirecting his header straight to Ashley Vincent, who shot athletically past the helpless Young from just inside the six-yard box. Both sides had now conceded their first pre-season goal.
A few minutes later, Straker passed to Guttridge in left-hand channel. The ball was rolled through to Morgan, who blazed an angled shot over from level with the penalty spot.
Six minutes before the break, Dillon's men strung together one of the best moves of the half. Anthony Straker broke from deep in his own half and ran to just past the half-way line before passing to Glen Little. The ex-Reading man played a slide rule pass to Guttridge who, in turn played a neat one-two with Ben Herd out on the right wing. The Shots' number four then fed Morgan, who was in his seemingly constant back-to-goal position, and the big Mancunian shielded the ball from Paul Reid before unleashing a powerful shot from 20 yards that was blocked and subsequently cleared to safety.
Half-Time: 1:1
Shots boss Dillon made just one change for the start of the second half, with new signing Aaron Morris came on for Darren Jones.
Within two minutes of the restart, the crowd were treated to a touch of the Keystone Cops. Anthony Straker played a nicely weighted thru-ball down the middle into the path of Marvin Morgan, who was running towards goal. Faced with a one-on-one with keeper Cousins, the Shots striker executed a couple of step-overs before treading on the ball and falling over. By now, Straker had arrived to assist his team-mate, but he merely succeeded in getting in Morgan's way as he tried to get to his feet just inside area and the ball ran gently into Cousins' arms.
Eight minutes of the half had elapsed, when Glen Little fed Morgan on the left wing and the big man ran into the Colchester box before crossing hard and low to Guttridge, who just failed to connect in the six-yard box. Three minutes later, Jamie Vincent sent Anthony Straker clear up the same wing and the 21-year-old, who was outstanding all afternoon, fed the ever-industrious Morgan just in the 'D', but he dragged a right foot shot (on the turn) agonisingly wide of the left-hand post.
The second half was a much tighter affair, especially in midfield, so personnel changes started to happen. Clayton Fortune came on for Ben Harding and Wade Small replaced Glen Little. On 64 minutes, good interplay between Guttridge and Small on the right wing saw the latter player pass to a centrally-positioned Anthony Straker, whose powerful shot from just outside the area was straight at keeper Cousins.
With 18 minutes remaining, new arrival Jermaine McGlashan replaced Jamie Vincent, with Straker moving to left back. For the entire second half, the back four had looked solid, with 20-year-old Aaron Morris catching the eye with a comfortable, assured performance belying his age and being complemented by good distribution of the ball.
On 77 minutes, Marvin Morgan got the rest he deserved, with his place being taken by Danny Hylton. For all his running, Marvin had a more difficult time of it in the second half as ex-Shots centre half Magnus Okuonghae kept close tabs on him, although the big defender didn't have it all his own way.
In the 80th minute, Colchester mounted an attack up the right wing, with some nice quick passing between Brian Wilson and Kemel Izzet culminating in right back Wilson hitting a defenders' shot that was always rising over the bar.
A minute later, Jake Hyde replaced Luke Guttridge and teenage striker Reece Connolly came on for Anthony Charles. By now, the shape of the game had become disjointed as a result of multiple substitutions by both sides.
Five minutes from time, ex-Shots loanee Ashley Vincent crossed from the right flank to Kayode Odejayi, whose thunderous volley from six yards was superbly tipped over by Jamie Young.
With four minutes left on the clock, the Shots doubled their lead. Having been given the ball by Manny Panther, Danny Hylton ran through the middle and played a delightful one-two with Wade Small. On receiving the ball back, the 21-year-old substitute looked up and then hit an unstoppable shot past Mark Cousins from 20 yards.
The home side nearly made in three in the last minute, when an enormous drop-kick from Jamie Young went all the way through to Jake Hyde. The ex-Barnet man ran clear of the Colchester defence and then tried to round the advancing Cousins, but the keeper snatched the ball from off the young striker's toe.
The final whistle sounded soon after.
Today's game may not have been as entertaining as last week's victory over Bristol City. However, Kevin Dillon and his players will still be very pleased with their afternoon's work. Without detracting from the entires team's efforts, defenders Aaron Morris and Anthony Straker were the outstanding players in a what was good, solid and workmanlike victory. Glen Little was the fulcrum for several moves and Marvin Morgan was lively as ever.
Whilst we all know that results in pre-season count for nothing when it comes to points, the confidence that victories in those games instils in the players does. When that is added to the work on the training ground and the camaraderie that is already clearly present amongst the squad, the club's third Football League campaign could be turn out to be a fruitful one.
Full Time: 2-1
Line-up:
Jamie Young, Ben Herd, Jamie Vincent (Jermaine McGlashan), Luke Guttridge (Jake Hyde), Darren Jones (Aaron Morris), Anthony Charles (Reece Connolly), Glen Little (Wade Small), Ben Harding (Clayton Fortune), Marvin Morgan (Danny Hylton), Anthony Straker, Manny Panther. Unused substitutes: Damian Spencer, Jordan Clement
Referee: James Linington
Assistants: Steve Cook and Nigel Lugg
Fourth Official: Dave Jones
Attendance 967 (including 27 from Colchester United)
