Early Promise

ON a scorching day Pennant fielded an experimental team, feeling their way into the new season which is only a week and a half away.

Of the starting line-up, only Billy Read had played all through the previous two friendlies and they also had three players making their first starts of the season — Mark Salmon and Kevin Riley from last season’s team and John Kent, a new player who has been at Purfleet.

The home team generally looked the more lively and gave the Pennant defence a testing time.

The 15th minute saw the opening goal when keeper Clark Wells accidentally carried the ball outside his area and conceded a free kick. The ball found the head of a Clacton player who nodded it into the middle for a striker to apply a simple finish.

Billy Cove had the best of the play for the visitors, firstly lashing a ball across the box that no-one could get a touch to and then trying a cheeky lob from 40 yards that drifted a foot over the bar.

Robbie Drake, playing in midfield, made a breathtaking run from the halfway line, beating three players before slipping the ball past the Clacton keeper only to see a defender clear it off the line and send the home team in at half time one up.

It was 2-0 ten minutes after the restart as a hopeful lob into the middle was allowed to bounce across the box to present another easy chance.

Che Stadhart was brought on immediately and his first touch almost set up an immediate reply. He got to the by-line and his cross was dummied by Read and Cove’s low shot was just saved by the keeper with an outstretched boot.

Pennant then brought on a multitude of substitutes and it was one of these, Jason Gerraghty, who played a delightful ball to Sid Nelson on the edge of the box and his first-time volley struck the post.

With the away team now calling the shots they got a goal back with ten minutes to go.

Another run by Stadhart saw the striker pull the ball back for fellow substitute Joel Sapiro to fire home from close range.

Despite a lot of late pressure, Leyton Pennant just couldn’t get the equaliser on a day when the management had a close look at some of the players on the fringes of the first team.

Their next fixture, another friendly, is a home game against Billericay this Saturday, kicking off at 3pm at Wadham Lodge.

Pennant: Wells, Quinn (Halpin), Hercules, Kent (Knox), M.Salmon (Gerraghty), P.Salmon, Nelson, Riley (Stadhart), Drake, Cove (Sapiro)