Aldershot Town continued their unbeaten start to pre-season with a comfortable 3-0 win over Isthmian Premier League side Wingate & Finchley at the Maurice Rebak Stadium.
Two quickfire first half goals from new signing Harrison Panayiotou and James Rowe were followed by a late header from a trialist to seal the win.
The Shots squad looked almost complete with only two trialists involved in the matchday squad, they were also accompanied by five Academy players in Ryan Hall, Simba Kudyiwa, Harry Woodward, Liam Montague and Danilo Pereira.
Shots had an early chance through Ollie O’Dwyer but his header looped onto the crossbar. Wingate & Finchley’s best chance came when Anthony Mendy broke away from Kodi Lyons-Foster who pulled up injured, he squared across goal to Charlie Cole but his close-range effort was tame and straight at Mitch Walker.
On 34 minutes the Shots opened the scoring. Robbie Tinkler’s deep corner was headed back across goal by O’Dwyer to Panayiotou who nodded in from close range.
Four minutes later the lead was doubled when Rowe curled in an inch-perfect free kick past Shane Gore into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.
Connor Shields looked a lively threat all game and went close on several occasions in the second half, his best effort a powerful shot which crashed into the side-netting.
But it was the second trialist who came on in the second half who sealed the scoring, heading in from a Woodward corner on 79 minutes.
Shots have a behind close doors friendly away at an EFL club on Saturday before Hampshire rivals Portsmouth visit the EBB Stadium on Tuesday for a 7:30PM Kick Off.
ALDERSHOT TOWN: Walker (Hall 78), Tinkler (Kudyiwa 69), O’Dwyer (Trialist B 46), Lyons-Foster (Finney 15), Kinsella (Montague 69), Rance (Eyoma 57), Rowe (Santos 48), Chislett, Panayiotou (Woodward 75), Shields (Pereira 75), Trialist A (Whittingham 57).
By Chris Woods
