Cornish trip next for Reds after Vase win

Pete Stiles spoke of his delight as Fareham returned to competitive action with a convincing 4-1 FA Vase first round proper win over Roman Glass St George.

But the Reds boss admitted his side's margin of victory could have been even greater had they shown more composure in front of goal.

Curt Robbins struck either side of the break while efforts from the Benfield brothers - Josh and Callum - took Fareham into round two and a gruelling trek to the depths of Cornwall next weekend.

Stiles could not have asked for much more from his troops in what was their first competitive fixture since November 3 following the nationwide 'non-elite' football suspension.

Yet, he is hoping his side can become more clinical in front of goal as they get more minutes under their belts.

Stiles, pictured, said: 'I was very pleased with them, considering we’d trained once (since lockdown ended), I was quite pleased and our energy levels were good.

‘You could say a bit of the finishing (could have been better) but they’re not going to be as sharp as what they were when they’ve trained once in a month.

‘It was good to get that game out of the way.

‘We had a couple of people slightly tweak things where we haven’t had much of a training session before we’d played.'

Robbins was the provider for the first goal as his cross was headed home by Callum Benfield on 22 minutes.

Robbins got himself on the scoresheet, cleverly flicking home skipper Tom Settle's corner to double the hosts' advantage just before the break.

There was some nervousness in the home camp when Josh Williams made it 2-1 for the Bristol-based Western League outfit not long after the restart.

But Josh Benfield's stunner restored Fareham's two-goal advantage before Robbins' volley rounded off the scoring.

Stiles conceded some of his squad were left feeling the effects of having not played in more than a month.

As a result, he is now likely to make changes for Tuesday’s home game with Fleet Town in the Wessex League Premier Division as he looks to avoid a potential injury crisis.

‘It was good to get that (Vase) game out of the way,' admitted

Stiles.

‘I might have to change a few around for Tuesday’s game because I don’t want to play people and then get injuries.

‘We’ve got an FA Vase game to think about on Saturday now so I’ll be changing a few up for Tuesday, that’s for sure.'

Fareham make the trip to South West Peninsula League side Helston Athletic in the second round next weekend.