IT’S CRYSTAL CLEAR NOW FOR CASUALS
IN one of the day’s multiple friendlies that pitted Non League against a Premier League club’s academy side, Corinthian-Casuals welcomed Crystal Palace to King George’s as they step up their preparations for their Bostik Premier campaign.
The hosts scrambled to find a referee after a late cancellation but the match was able to go ahead and saw a competitive affair finish 1-0 to Palace. National League side
Wrexham tasted defeat for the first time this pre-season by losing 3-1 away at AFC Telford United.
The match began is the worst way possible for Sam Rickett’s side, who featured no trialists in their starting XI, as Daniel Udoh scored before a minute of play had passed.
Goals from Shane Sutton and another from Udoh condemned the Dragons to defeat, though news that Danny Ward’s transfer from Liverpool to Leicester is set to fill the club’s coffers with £1.25m means this hasn’t been a bad week in north Wales.
Staines Town’s third friendly reacquainted them with near neighbours Slough
Town, who rallied to a comfortable win.
A double from Perry Coles and a Manny Williams strike put Slough 3-0 up at the break before late strikes from Louis Soares and Williams again completed a 5-0 rout.
Alfreton Town let slip a two-goal lead but still took credit from a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest’s under 23 side.
Big striker Tom Denton and James Clifton put the Reds in control just after the half hour but two goals in the space of three second-half minutes from Gboly Ariyibi and Arvin Appiah completed the Forest fightbackback.
Eastleigh continued their pre-season with a 3-1 win over Nikki Bull’s Leatherhead at Fetcham Grove.
The Spitfires raced into a three-goal lead through strikes from Oscar Gobern, Ben Williams and Paul McCallum before Elliott Benyon netted for the Tanners. A 1-1 draw between
Wealdstone and Aldershot proved to be a fair result, though the hosts had to rely on keeper Jon North to keep the Shots out in the first half.
Gary Waddock’s edged in front on the hour when a trialist to break the deadlock.
Wealdstone’s Bradley Hudson-Odoi ensured both sides would settle for a draw when he netted on 75 minutes. Elsewhere, on Friday night
York City played out a 1-1 draw with Leeds United in front of a crowd of 4,400 at Bootham Crescent, trialist Joe Tait of Spennymoor Town, the man on target.