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MATCH REPORT: Bristol City (H)

The 24/25 pre-season campaign returned to the EBB Stadium once more with the visit of Bristol City and much welcomed return of Josh Stokes.

The Robins brought a very strong side to Aldershot, with Stokes starting the game against a number of his former teammates, and saw his first touches ironically booed by the Shots faithful.

Bristol City started very brightly and saw a powerful shot crash into the side netting from a tight angle in the first minute.

But Aldershot were up for the challenge against their Championship opposition and weren’t shying away from the challenge. Hady Ghandour controlled a high ball forward superbly and drove at his man down the right wing but his well-placed cross into the centre arrived too soon for his teammates arriving into the box.

Stokes was involved in the opening goal for Bristol City in the ninth minute after going down arguably too easy in a shoulder-to-shoulder with Tyler Frost and winning a free-kick, which taken quickly, found it’s way to Sam Bell who chipped it over Marcus Dewhurst and into the Shots’ net.

The game dipped in the number of clear-cut chances on either goal after City’s opener but Josh Barrett came close in a good Shots move in possession with a shot from outside the box in the 23rd minute.

Bell was very lively and looking like the visitors’ dangerman and he came close to a second after being slotted through, only to be denied by the quick reactions of Marcus Dewhurst in the Shots net to race out and deny him at his feet.

Ryan Jones has enjoyed a good pre-season campaign so far and did well down the left once more in the 40th minute as he skipped over a challenge to dink it into the box, but saw his cross headed behind for a corner.

The first-half was a tightly contested one, however, and the Shots were fairly unfortunate to go into the break behind.

HALF-TIME

This pre-season game saw no changes made at half-time for the Shots for the first time with the minutes given to the starting XI increased and they looked like they had something to prove from kick-off.

Twice in the minute the front two of Hady Ghandour and Kai Corbett broke down either wing, but on both occasions one of the two’s delivery into the middle just evaded the other in the centre as the roles reversed with both chances.

The Shots’ best chance so far came in the 55th minute when Josh Barrett, who scored such a brilliant free-kick with almost the final touch of the 23/24 season, forced a really good save from Max O’Leary with a free-kick from just outside the area.

Two minutes later, Tyler Frost hit a powerful cross just in front of goal from the right which had to be cleared by O’Leary’s feet.

But Bristol City found a second in the 69th minute as Cam Pring headed home with a great header that left Jordi van Stappershoef, who had recently come on for Dewhurst, with not much chance of saving.

A flurry of substitutions over the next 1-0 minutes slowed the pace of the game and saw chances few and far between, but van Stappershoef had to be called into action in the 82nd minute.

Fally Mayulu skipped past his dive, but the Shots ‘keeper recovered well and though the Assistant Referee’s flag was raised to indicate he’d dribbled out of play, van Stappershoef saved very well to deny his powerful effort from a tight angle.

The last chance fell to our only Trialist of the night as Ashley Akpan’s good cross from the right was met by his attempted bicycle kick, however, he couldn’t quite get the required connection to deny possibly the best goal from someone that can’t be named!

The Shots gave a good showing against a very strong Bristol City side and though they finished with a defeat, will look back on the pre-season game as a valuable experience.

Shots lineup: 28. Marcus Dewhurst (1. Jordi van Stappershoef, 61′), 2. Lachlan Byrd (26. George Milner-Smith, 75′), 3. Ollie Harfield (C) (33. Freddie Stanley, 75′), 5. Christian Maghoma (24. Maxwell Mullins, 71′), 6. Theo Widdrington (32 Emmanuel Maja, 71′)(12. Keane Anderson, 84′), 7. Cameron Hargreaves (34 Dejan Tetek, 71′), 8. Tyler Frost (21. Ashley Akpan, 75′), 9. Kai Corbett (35. Trialist A, 61′), 10. Josh Barrett (20. Haydon Vaughan, 71′), 11. Ryan Jones (15. Ollie Turner, 75′), 23. Hady Ghandour (14. Ollie Bray, 61’).