Scholars teach weak Tigers team a lesson

GLOUCESTER CITY 2 CHASETOWN 3

GLOUCESTER City's mystery first choice keeper was in the crowd as the Tigers failed to overcome Chasetown in their first 'home' friendly.

He cannot have been impressed with a serious of errors that saw City's weakened backline outclassed.

With none of Gloucester's three goalies available, manager Dave Mehew made an emergency loan signing from Minehead, the diminutive Ashley Bryan. He did his best, but was clearly out of his depth against a physical Chasetown side.

City started strongly with Will Morford, Luke Ballinger and Lee Smith attacking from the off.

Smith started the scoring five minutes in, set up by good passing from James Palmer and Morford. After a swift run up the right wing, he beat two defenders into the box and fired the ball into the top left corner.

Ballinger came close to a second minutes later when his free kick was tipped over the bar.

But while City were strong going forward, the absence of Tom Webb and Marc Richards left big gaps at the back. Jack Harris at left back and Matty Sysum at right back did not provide the strength or impact needed. Harris, out of position, and Sysum lacking match experience, struggled to fill the places left by more senior players.

However, it was a player three years younger than both of them who put the visitors level when 16-year-old Jack Hulin, on for Richard Teesdale, fired the ball past Bryan.

Then Danny Smith put Chasetown ahead on 42 minutes after two City defenders failed to stop him.

After the break, the Tigers continued to attack. Jack Pitcher, who had showed renewed energy and pace against Almondsbury on Tuesday, was once again threatening the Chasetown defence and he equalised on 53 minutes.

Morford, the target of knocks throughout the game, won a free kick, Smith played the ball in and Pitcher acted quickly in the goalmouth scramble to head it into the net.

Symons, on for Smith, nipped a cross into Morford that almost put City ahead. Morford missed the kick but Harris was waiting to play the ball back into Pitcher, who stretched but could not get his whole foot on the ball.

Even though it was a friendly, Chasetown's defenders continued to nudge and push Morford, but City could not capitalise on any of the free kicks awarded to them.

Another defensive failure, this time from a corner, saw the visitors go ahead in the dying minutes when Craig Marshall headed home from a corner.

Two poorly taken free kicks from Lee Marshall and a Luke Ballinger goal which was ruled off-side left the Tigers subdued by the Scholars.

Gloucester: Bryan, Ballinger, Marshall, Sysum, Rose (Robinison, 65), Smith (Symons, 57), Palmer, Pitcher (James, 71) Morford, Harris (Russell 71, Harris back on 87). Subs not used: Ellis, Truchnan.

Chasetown: Price, Holland (Curithers), Branch, Milligan, Horton, Teasdale (Hulin, 34), Bachelor (Bragoli 21), Middleton, Marshall, Smith (McGiven, 50). Subs not used: Harris, Steane, Birth, Turner.

Attendance: 177

Man of the match: Will Morford