The Shots final pre-season clash came against familiar opposition as last season’s Vanarama National League playoff winners Bromley visited the EBB Stadium.
The team news came with a surprise as James Henry’s signing was announced an hour before this afternoon’s kick-off with the new arrival put straight into the starting XI.
It took a while for either side to create a chance worthy of note, however, it was a bright game in the opening stages with the Shots looking sturdy against their now Football League opposition.
In the 23rd minute, Kai Corbett and Josh Barrett’s blossoming link up play continued when a number of neat and intricate passes between the two fashioned a chance for Barrett, but his looped effort was over the bar.
Three minutes later, the Shots showed brilliance fashioning a chance out of nothing as a pinpoint ball from Cam Hargreaves was superbly touched down by Barrett to Corbett who played in Ryan Jones down the left with first-time, cross-field ball. Jones played a low cross across the Bromley goal but it was cleared behind for a corner with Barrett waiting at the back-post to turn it in.
Marcus Dewhurst wasn’t completely out of the action thus far, but had to be called into action in the 36th minute to keep the game goalless with a fantastic save from close-range after the Shots failed to deal with a Bromley corner.
Bromley did have the ball in the back of the net in the 41st minute, only to be denied by the Assistant Referee’s flag. Dewhurst pulled off another good save, getting down low to keep out a shot from the edge of the box and though Marcus Dinanga turned in the rebound, he came from an offside position.
Kai Corbett scored against Crawley Town with a superb finish on Tuesday night and almost an equally audacious goal today, but he couldn’t get the right connection with his backheel flick from Tyler Frost’s cross.
HALF-TIME
Like the first-half, it took a while for their to be a clear-cut chance for either side but that came the way of the visitors and summer signing Marcus Dinanga just after the hour. Only a few yards out from goal and completely unmarked, the Bromley striker headed off target.
And just a few minutes later, Bromley were almost punished as the Shots broke forward and found themselves three-on-two. Barrett played it to Hady Ghandour, who had come on at half-time, but despite finding himself one-on-one with Grant Smith, the Bromley ‘keeper came out on top.
Haydon Vaughan came off the bench as part of a triple change in the 77th minute and scored the opening goal of the match in the 78th minute! Ghandour cut inside and laid it off to Vaughan to slot into the back of the net under the dive of Smith.
The goal buoyed the Shots on against a Bromley side that suddenly looked very tired and Ryan Jones came very close to poking in a second goal within a minute.
Ollie Harfield is fast approaching his Shots century and is still yet to score but had probably his best chance of his Shots career so far in the 81st minute as his curling effort from 25 yards out had to be well saved by Smith.
And the chances didn’t stop as the game drew to a close with Ghandour firing wide from a fantastic Shots move and Theo Widdrington firing a powerful effort from 25 yards out just over the bar.
The Shots ended their pre-season with a win and another good performance and will be optimistic heading into the 24/25 season.
ATTENDANCE: 682 (49 Away)
Shots Lineup: 28. Marcus Dewhurst, 3. Ollie Harfield, 4. Luke Jenkins (2. Lachlan Byrd, 77′), 5. Christian Maghoma, 6. Theo Widdrington, 7. Cameron Hargreaves (34. Dejan Tetek, 59′), 8. Tyler Frost (21. Ashley Akpan, 77′), 9. Kai Corbett (20. Haydon Vaughan, 77′), 10. Josh Barrett (22. Jack Barham, 74′), 11. Ryan Jones (24. Maxwell Mullins, 90′), 33. James Henry (23. Hady Ghandour, 46’).
Unused subs: 1. Jordi van Stappershoef, 16. Pat Nash, 12. Keane Anderson.
