Saturday 4th August 2018

Friendly

Carshalton Athletic 1 (Tommy Bradford 14 mins) Sittingbourne 1 (Tom Loynes 12 mins).

This was a useful workout for the Brickies against last season's Bostik South Champions who have retained most of that squad. The brickies had to do without Kane Rowland who has elected to join Folkestone Invicta and were still without Fabrice Bleworda and Reiss Crimmen who are both expoected to join the squad.

Both teams should be congratulated for producing some good football, played at a fairly fast pace in the 31 C degree heat. The 3g pitch has worn in now and the general consensus was that it played well. The Brickies took a 12th minute lead thanks to a good goal from Tom Loynes from just outside the area, but two minutes later the Robins equalised when the ball was lost in midfield and Tommy Bradford gave Harry Brooks no chance with a good shot.

Carshalton then shaded the first half, and they began the second half well but Sittingbourne then had a good deal of possesion. Tom Loynes had a great chance to score a second when he found himself against the onrushing Robins keeper and although his attempted lob was probably the correct decision, he faild to get the required height and the keeper grabbed the ball.

Chances were few during the rest of the game but it was always an entertaining encounter. The Robins could have, and probably should have, clinched the win with the last effort of the game when following a corner, the ball was headed powerfully aginst the crossbar and rebounded to safety.

Sittingbourne will be encouraged by this performance as they now prepare for their first Bostik league game coming up next Saturday, away to Horsham - the game will be played at Lancing whilst Horsham's new home is completed.

Sittingbourne Squad, Brooks, Lee, Lofting, Webber, Allan, Dorling, Chambers, Parkinson, Flagg, Jackson, Loynes, Caney-Bryan, Riches, Ebba, Quasi, McFarlane

Peter Pitts