Wingate walloped in pre-season friendly

Wingate & Finchley were beaten at home by a free-flowing St Albans side, who won this friendly game with a flurry of second half goals after an even first half.

Pre-Season Friendly
Wingate & Finchley 3 St Albans 8
Saturday, 19 July, 2014

The thunderstorms stayed away which forced the match to be played in 30 degree heat, however the visitors wasted no time in getting going as St Albans took the lead in only the 7th minute. After the ball was won from a Wingate throw, a low cross from the right resulted in a shot which was parried by Cain Davies, but he was helpless to stop the rebound which was tucked away by Warren McBean.

The equalising goal came six minutes later. After a long spell of Wingate pressure the ball was not cleared from the St Albans box, and Sean Grace drilled a low ball in to Ola Sogbanmu who had found space and turned it home from close range.

The game then changed as Sam Corcoran scored for the visitors with two deflections in two minutes. The first was a free-kick 25 yards out, as the ball hit the wall and found the bottom right corner. He repeated this from open play moments later, beating the unfortunate and helpless Cain Davies.

The deficit was halved again with a superb attack on the half hour mark. Rob Laney was released into the right side of the area, and he squared the ball across the six yard line. It missed Sogbanmu but found Gavin Suddell at the far post. He drilled the ball back in and Sogbanmu turned it home for his second close-range goal.

The first half had been very even, but after the break, perhaps due to four substitutions or a loss of concentration, St Albans scored two goals at the start of the second half. The first was a tap in from Steve Wales, and the second a free header from John Frendo which killed the game as a contest.

After a number of substitutions from both sides, the second half was played at a slow pace, and fee chances were created. Then with ten minutes remaining St Albans scored twice within a minute. Lee Clark found a yard of space in the box and dispatched the ball into the top right corner. The visitors then won the ball from the kick-off and walked through the Wingate defence, with Wales clipping the ball over Davies to finish the move off.

Marc Weatherstone had the ball in the net for the Blues with a low finish, but it was disallowed for offside. However, an eighth St Albans goal followed in injury time through James Comley.

Wingate added a third as two substitutes combined – Junior Fatai ran past his man to the right byeline and pulled the ball in to Nico Muir who backheeled the ball in.

Goals:
Wingate: Ola Sogbanmu 13,30, Nico Muir 90.
ST Albans: Warren McBean 7, Sam Corcoran 25, 26, Steve Wales 47, 80, John Frendo 50, Lee Clarke 79, James Comley 89.

Attendence:
125

Lineup:
Davies, Goodman, Wright, Sogbanmu( Fisher 60), Weatherstone, Grace (Aisien 46), Suddell (Fredericks 46)
Tommy Tejan-Sie, Laney (Charles Emboige 75), Knight (Muir 70), Shulton (Junior Fatai 75).