BORO HELD BY BATTLING GOOLE
Bradshaw nets in draw
Scarborough Athletic concluded their preparatory efforts on a balmy Saturday afternoon in Goole, but sadly they didn’t secure the victory they wanted to ease them into the new season.
With every aim set on the Evo-Stik North opener at New Mills, Boro just lacked the firepower in a game that finished all square at 1-1.
Under the shadow of the town’s iconic water tower, Boro looked as though they would bag a flood of goals in the opening exchanges, but the tide was soon stemmed by a resilient Goole.
Joint-boss Bryan Hughes had underlined in midweek that the starting line-up at Goole may well differ from that of the opening game.
Despite that, Boro fielded a very strong side, which boasted plenty of height in attack, with Tom Corner and Alex Pe- terson leading the line.
It was Gary Bradshaw, playing out wide after topping the scoring charts last season, who broke the deadlock with just 10 minutes played.
Joe Fox floated a ball in from the right and Bradshaw rose well to flick his header into the bottom corner.
Bradshaw almost doubled his tally minutes later when he wriggled into some space and rolled an effort just past the Goole post.
The Boro upright was the next to be grazed soon after, Nathan Smith cutting in from the left for Goole, but he failed to control his shot.
Boro’s Corner, almost maintained his fine pre-season form when he was presented with a pair of chances.
Firstly he saw a drive deflected just wide of the target, then he poked the wrong side of the post after some more fine work from Bradshaw.
Boro’s good early work was then dashed on the half-hour when some concerning defending let Jake Stannard in to pick out the bottom corner.
That unsteadiness continued when the new period began, despite Lloyd Henderson and Joe Lamplough arriving on the field from the bench.
Bobby Johnson struck the Boro bar with a fine effort, then Ben Simpson had to make a great save when the left side of the defence parted.
Boro were revived as an attacking force when Ryan Blott and Alex Metcalfe emerged from the dug-out. The latter had the ball plucked off his toe by the keeper just seconds after coming on.
Goole still posed a threat and they should have snatched the win when Jamie Coulson’s shot rebounded to Matthew Semley off the post. But panic set in and the midfielder lofted his effort over the bar.
Boro probably finished the better, with Steve Mallory lifting a free-kick over the bar and Blott having a shot saved.
But it seems that there is still work to be done by the management team if Boro are to be ready for battle at New Mills on Saturday.