It finished even stevens as the Azzurri were given a decent test by BetVictor Premier Division opponents, Matlock. In surprisingly blustery conditions we saw a very watchable game that ebbed and flowed and no-one will have gone home disappointed.
The Blues had the better of the opening exchanges as Sam Cable drove his shot from the corner of the box just wide in the 8th minute. Then the next meaningful attack gave Les Bleus the lead in the 15th minute, a superb piece of football saw Brad Mears hare down the right wing, crossing to Haze who swept the ball into the bottom corner of net with aplomb from 20 yards out.
The Gladiators started to find their feet as Piteu Crouz went on a dangerous 25th minute run but his final ball across goal was well out of reach of any of his teammates. Shortly after, the Frickley defence was carved open and James Marshall finished the move with a shot that went narrowly past the post.
Tall and with pretty good feet, Matlock’s Marshall showed himself to be that sort of awkward forward that defenders hate to play against. So it proved when he got on the scoresheet in the 38th minute. In the build up, it looked like Haze was upended (not the first or last time he was the victim of a bit of rough treatment) but the ref waved play on and the ball was worked to Marshall who took it past the last defender before rounding Tom Jackson to equalise.
There was still time before the break for Luke Dean to lash a volley inches over the bar following a Crouz drag back. HT 1-1.
The Boys in Blue opened the second half with some lovely interplay that ended with Haze hitting the ball from distance with the outside of his boot only to see the keeper get down well to save.
Just before the hour, Matlock made a raft of changes. Fresh legs for the Gladiators immediately saw them lay siege to the Frickley goal. Matlock quickly had a double chance, the first blast at goal being blocked by a Blue defender but the rebound dropped to Crouz, his effort being parried away by Jackson. Within minutes, Matlock had managed to fashion a couple more opportunities, the best of them from Louis Wardle intercepting 25 yards out but then rifling the ball straight at Jackson. The Blues couldn’t quite hold out though as sub Curtis Morrison broke clear and tucked the ball past Tom Jackson from a narrow angle in the 65th minute.
Then it was Frickley’s turn to make substitutions and take the ascendancy. A livewire all day, Haze had a 70th minute half chance comfortably gathered by the keeper from a tight angle. The Azzurri kept the pressure on and it paid off 12 minutes later when Haze was involved again, his good work leading to Oliver Russon playing a through ball for Kyle Simpson to chase down. The youngster was as cool as cucumber, his calm finish from 15 yards nestling in the onion bag for two apiece.
Jack McMenemy looked to nick it for the Blues with a couple of minutes to go but his speculative left wing potshot was well off the mark. FT 2-2.
Les Bleus put in their best all-round performance of preseason so far. Higher division Matlock played with intensity and were quick to pounce on any mistakes but the Blues didn’t panic, showed resilience when it wasn’t going their way and put away two quality goals when the openings appeared. There’s still things to work on but there was much to be buoyed by as well. Onwards and upwards….
WEBMASTER MOTM – Nearly everyone had a sound game. Jackson made some crucial stops, Todd Jordan and Jack Harrison were unflappable at the heart of defence, Jordan in particular brought the ball out of defence with purpose. Luke Hogg continued to beaver away in front of the back four and Jack Burton’s and Jake Currie’s hard work in midfield didn’t go unnoticed either. Nenad, Joel Feirn and Oliver Russon picked up the baton when they came on and made sure that it was more of the same. Brad Mears deserves a special mention for his running, his overlap and cross in the first half getting him an assist. Up front, Jack Mc and Sam Cable never let the defence settle and young Kyle Simpson seems to have that happy knack of being in the right place at the right time, combined with fearless finishing. However, the Glitterball has to go to that man Jacob Hazel. Haze ghosted around the danger areas from first to last, scoring one goal, having a hand in the second and generally frustrating defenders all afternoon. Congrats fella.
It was another good preseason turnout, we thank you again for your kind support and we look forward to seeing you again at The Lane on Tuesday evening when we entertain Scunthorpe United.
