Epsom & Ewell 1-5 Lingfield - Pre-Season Friendly - Saturday 13th July 2013



A much changed Salts team struggled against a lively Lingfield outfit on Saturday at Beare Green FC



It's always hard to take much out of a pre-season friendly, and on the face of it, a 5-1 defeat would appear to have been an afternoon wasted.

However, Lyndon will have learned a lot about a number of players in the stifling heat on Saturday as he was forced into a number of changes and fielded a number of players who were new to the club, some of whom might have not got the time on the field otherwise.

The visitors only came along with a bare bone squad and minus a keeper, although our first team keeper Joe White has in fact played more games for Lingfield than for us, and as he is off to America and therefore not a part of Lyndon's plans for this season, he filled in for the opposition, while his brother Michael played in goal for us!

Epsom started slowly and were caught cold in just the third minute when a losse ball went across the box and was finished off with a low strike that flew into the net off the inside of the post. Another goal followed after just 8 minutes and a rather soft third followed in the 19th minute when a deep corner was headed in easily.

This obviously left a mountain to climb but Kyle Hough forced Joe White into a few saves and was also unlucky to see another shot come down off the underside of the bar with Ali Dewar just unable to reach the loose ball before it was cleared.

George Murphy was replaced after 25 minutes, struggling with injury and maybe it was just as well that the teams only played 40 minutes before half time was called.

The second half was more in our favour as we began to press the opposition back. Dewar got onto a deep pass but his first touch let him down and he was only able to poke his shot wide of the post. After 19 minutes of the second half Wang Gil Choi broke through and his shot was saved but Hough was there to knock in the loose ball to reduce the deficit.

Unfortunately, two late goals in the final three minutes gave the score an unfair gloss.



Line-up: Michael White, Antony Myers, Matt Farrell, Anthony Panayi, George Murphy, Nathan Ayling, Alex McGregor, Tony Cuff, Wang Gil Choi, Ali Dewar, Kyle Hough 25: Montell Shaw for Murphy 2nd half - 25 mins - lots of changes Chris (Korean) for Myers (but Ayling moved to left back and Chris played in midfield) Russell Hart for Cuff Richard Lediju for McGregor Jacob ? for Farrell