Report – Bracknell Town 3 – 3 Wealdstone
Bracknell Town3 - 3
Wealdstone
We began our 2018/19 pre-season campaign with a 3-3 draw against Bracknell Town at Larges Lane on Saturday. Bradley Bubb opened the scoring and Jeffrey Monakana’s second half goals put the Stones in the lead and rescued a draw near the end.
With a large overhaul of players in the summer Stones fans saw Rhys Tyler, Freddie Grant, Sam Hatton, James Clark, Godfrey Poku and Matt Lench all start their first game in a Stones shirt.
Lench wasn’t on the field long though and was substituted on 14 minutes by Montel Agyemang, also a summer signing, after picking up a knock.
Dave Pratt and Bubb linked up well in the first half with the latter seeing a couple of chances well saved by the Bracknell keeper.
He opened the scoring on 29 minutes after a precise long ball from Clark fell perfectly for the Grenada international, and he lobbed the stranded keeper from the edge of the area.
As expected, a handful of changes were made at half time with only Jonathan North, Bubb and Agyemang surviving from the first half.
Monakana was one of those introduced at half time and he almost scored immediately into the half, swerving an effort past the keeper only to see the ball rebound off the post.
The hosts equalised through a well-struck free kick that went in off the post, leaving North with no chance.
Wealdstone regained the lead with a counter-attacking move. A set piece was cleared to Monakana, he ran 70 yards with the ball before tucking it past the keeper.
Bracknell equalised immediately after their forward headed in from a cross, the same player then gave them the lead for the first time in the game by finishing off their own counter-attack.
But Monakana restored parity on 86 minutes. Youth team player Shaquille Ishmael saw his cross intercepted by a defender before Monakana robbed him of the ball in the area and poked it past the keeper.
WEALDSTONE: North, Tyler (Ekpiteta 45), Grant (Ishmael 45), Trialist (Gardiner 45), Hatton (Trialist 45), Okimo (Trialist 45), Clark (Sheppard 45), Poku (Wilson 45), Pratt (Monakana 45), Bubb (Trialist 68), Lench (Agyemang 14).
Goals: Bubb (29), Monakana (67), (86)
By Chris Woods