Sholing 3-2 Guernsey

Goals: Stuart Mott 11 & 58 mins, Alex Baldacchino 47 / Rihoys 31, Black 87 (pen)

Sunday 13th July 2014 - Silverlake Arena - Pre-season Friendly

Sholing Line up: Matt Brown, TJ Cuthbertson, Sam Olaofe, Patrick Wilson, Stuart Mott, Kev Brewster, Nick Watts, Alex Sawyer, Nathan Lynch, Alex Baldacchino, Danny Cox.  Subs: Tuarean Manders, Demetri Bernard, Macaully Smith, Serge Fon, Jude Nwachukwu, Jamie Mansell, Matt Renouf

Guernsey Line up: Tom Creed, Simon Geall, Joe Alverez, Alex Le Prevost, Angus Mackay, Tome De La Mare, Glynn Dyer, Ryan-Zico Black, David Riboy, Luke Winch, Nigel Hatton.  Subs: Etienne Le Prevost, Mark McGrath, Josh Steele, Liam Mahon, Leroi Riley, Seb Skillen.

Referee: Jon Hollier  Assistants: James Robinson, Tom Moisey

Attendance: 101

Sholing got their pre-season underway with a winning start in a lively & entertaining game at the Silverlake Arena. Despite a significant number of last season's first team away on holiday, a mixture of new signings, familiar faces, reserve players and trialists gave a good account of themselves.

Quite surprising for a pre-season friendly on a hot day, the game started at a quick tempo and it never really dropped.  Sholing were finding space down the wings and went close a couple of times through dangerous crosses by Nick Watts & Alex Baldacchinno.  The opening goal came from a Kev Brewster corner which flicked off the head of Stuart Mott into the corner.  Guernsey went close from a freekick outside the box that Matt Brown tipped onto the bar. It was almost a carbon copy a few minutes later, but this time the ball came down off the woodwork allowing Rihoys to tap home.   Half Time 1-1

The Boatmen scored their second from a set-piece when the ball pinged around the box and when it came back in, Stuart Mott & Alex Baldacchino went up at the far post together with the latter just getting the final touch.  With the Referee allowing drinks breaks & both teams to use as many substitutes as they like, the second half was slightly more stop-start, but still entertaining and Sholing went into a 3-1 lead. Stuart Mott was known to grab goals for Alresford last season from centre-back and he demonstrated good movement in the box to roll to the far post to head in.  Guernsey reduced the arrears via a penalty after Matt Renouf took down the player as he was about to go round him. Zico Black slotted hom the penalty.   Full Time 3-2

Photos by Ray Routledge - Click a Thumbnail to view