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MATCH REPORT: Tonbridge Angels 2 Aldershot Town 3 (Pre-Season Friendly)

Aldershot Town’s final pre-season match saw them travel to Kent to take on National League South outfit Tonbridge Angels. Two Joel Nouble goals and one from Mo Bettamer saw the Shots come out 3-2 winners. 

Manager Danny Searle named a strong starting line-up and featured a Trialist at Left Back. Indeed it was Trailist ‘A’ that had The Shots’ first effort of the match, thumping a half volley just wide in the 4th minute.

The home side then settled into the game and enjoyed a good spell, winning a handful of corners and free kicks. In this period they tested Mitch Walker on a couple of occasions, both resulting in comfortable saves for the Shots’ keeper.

Town took the lead on 27 minutes, Mo Bettamer feeding Joel Nouble on the left side, before the latter cut inside the penalty area and drove home a low shot, which the Angels keeper James Shaw got a hand to but couldn’t stop.

Just 5 minutes later, Bettamer was involved again, this time to apply a one touch, 6 yard finish after good work on the byline by Josh Rees.

Kodi Lyons-Foster headed straight at Shaw on 38 minutes from Craig Tanner’s well delivered corner and other than one further neat move down the left side, that was the end of the first half action. 2-0 Shots at the break.

Searle sent the same Aldershot team out to start the second half and they had a good chance to increase their lead in the 56th minute, when Nouble’s goal bound shot from 12 yards was deflected behind for a corner.

Joe Turner let fly from 25 yards for the home side on 64 minutes, but whilst his powerful effort dipped, it didn’t dip enough. However on 70 minutes, the Angels forward would get a second opportunity and he took it with aplomb, his swerving right foot strike wrong footing Walker in the Shots’ goal.

Before Tonbridge could even contemplate pushing for a leveller, Nouble restored Shots’ two goal advantage, curling home right-footed from the edge of the area.

With 15 minutes to go, Searle brought on Ross McCormack, Killian Colombie and James Rowe for Bettamer, Nouble and Lyons-Foster.

Turner grabbed a second goal for Angel’s on 87 mins, neatly guiding a header past Walker from 6 yards and the home side came close to earning themselves a draw on 90 minutes when a thunderous effort cannoned back off Rees.

Ultimately, it ended Tonbridge Angels 2, Aldershot Town 3 in what was a useful work out for both teams.

Aldershot Town XI: 1 M Walker (G/K) (Trialist C 85), 2 G Fowler, 4 J Sendells-White, 5 A Finney, 15 Trialist A,  8 J Rees, 6 K Lyons-Foster (Rowe 75), 17 T Edser, (Whittingham 83), 3 C Tanner (Panayiotou 83), 9 M Bettamer, (McCormack 75), 14 J Nouble (Colombie 75)