Kentish Town 1- 1 Wealdstone
1 - 1
WealdstoneWealdstone opened their pre season campaign on Saturday by utilising two squads, the main session ending in a drawn game against Spartan South Midland League side Kentish Town in the afternoon after a morning match played behind closed doors at Bisham Abbey. A total of 31 players, including many trialists were used over both games.
The match at Kentish Town was being played in order to raise funds for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, with Town fielding a team in the second half comprised entirely of their former players. Stones manager, Gordon Bartlett, used both warm-up sessions to cast his eye over a number of trialists that included some familiar faces, as he looks to add to his squad for the forthcoming season.
At the Kentish Town game it was one of those trialists, striker Andrew Harewood, who scored Stones only goal of the game on 37 minutes, latching onto Denzil Conteh’s through ball before rounding the Town goalkeeper and rolling the ball into the empty net.
Earlier in the half it was the home side who had had the two best chances of the half with Jonathan North having to be alert to palm away Netinho’s close range effort 10 minutes in, before the former Watford stopper again had to block Luke Morgan’s long range free kick.
The Kentish Town XI consisting of former players did well after the break, and managed to level the match on 62 minutes when the lively Karim Essiaghi prodded the ball past North from close range.
Both sides looked for a winner as the game drew to a close, with Nikki Ahamed coming close for Stones with a delightful curling effort, and then Essiaghi again coming close for the home side, however neither team could snatch a winner.
Later Stones Manager Gordon Bartlett said: ‘It was a useful day and we used 31 players. After lots of promise from those on show this morning, I was disappointed with the afternoon performance.
‘However, it was good to blow the cobwebs away and get game time under their belts before Tuesday, especially when you consider the numbers of players still not available and I had 3 other pull outs in the previous 24 hours: Callum Martin (awaiting scan), Alan Massey, (back injury), Peter Dean (work). Wes Parker, Kurtney Brookes, Alex Dyer are all still away on holiday.
‘Scott Fitzgerald, Chris O’Leary, George Daly, are all recovering from operations with Scott and Chris aiming to play before the end of pre season’
Stones can now look forward to welcoming Championship opposition to The Vale on Tuesday night in the shape of near neighbours Watford FC, 7.45 kick off.
Wealdstone v Kentish Town – Jonathan North, Tayo-Davis Coker, Lee Chappell, Dean Wallace, Dave Morley, Denzil Conteh, Nikki Ahamed, David Hicks, Eddie Adjei, Syrus Gordon, Danny Spendlove. Substitutes: Shannon Taylor, Tautis, Peter Sammeroff, David Kenyon, Dave Ryan, Andrew Harewood