Pre-Season Match,
Kennells Lane, Farnborough
29th July 2009

Ashford's cosmopolitan line-up took the game to Fleet from the start and took the lead as early the third minute when Bulgarian winger Ivo Ginev hit a speculative shot that took a massive deflection and flew into the net.  The Ash Trees continued to pin their hosts back and saw two shots blocked by some desperate defending in the eleventh minute.  Four minutes later, Ashford should have been awarded a penalty when a defender baulked Nathan Turner's charge towards goal by palming a high ball away with both hands.  To the general incredulity of the travelling contingent, the referee saw no infringement.

Although Spurs registered their first shot on goal shortly after that incident, it was Ashford who scored the game's next goal, in the twenty-second minute.  Turner robbed the left-back near the halfway line and streaked down the wing, before squaring the ball for on-trial forward Munir Dar, who was left with a simple finish.

Having got themselves into a strong position, Ashford found themselves on the back foot just three minutes later when Spurs took advantage of some sloppy defending to score.  However, the Tangerines continued to look strong with Turner, Dar and Bulley all having opportunities to score.

Town continued to look shaky at the back though and almost conceded a 37th minute equaliser when the defence allowed the ball to reach a forward who was completely unmarked, but fired wide with the whole goal to aim at.  Moments later, the same striker did level the scores when he was again left unmarked and headed home from a free kick that Oguido probably should have claimed.  The hosts had their tails up now and took the lead four minutes before the interval when former Bracknell striker Adam Crittenden turned and fired past Oguido.

Ashford were given a short, sharp team talk by their manager and emerged looking purposeful.  Turner and Smith both had chances to score in the early part of the second half and the visitors quickly established dominance, pegging Fleet into their own half for long spells.  Eleven minutes into the half, the referee was forced to come off with an injury, to be replaced by his senior assistant, who immediately upset the travelling staff.  Dar looked to have been fouled as he bore down on the Fleet goal, with his marker then clearly passing the ball back to the goalkeeper, who leapt upon it, the man in black seeing neither a foul or a back pass.  Shortly afterwards, Ginev headed wide of the goal and Turner and Danny Byron were withdrawn, with Sonny Russell and George Baldock replacing them.

The visitors remained on top, but the Spurs stopper was in fine form, saving from Dar, Baldock and Smith in quick succession.  Baldock fired wide, before Dar found himself one-on-one with the keeper in the 77th minute, only to be denied by a fine save.  Baldock fired straight at the custodian soon after good skill from Ginev had created the opportunity.

As the game entered it's final minutes, Hardy and Bulley made way for a couple of young players who were looking to impress in the time left.  However, just moments after the change, Fleet scored with their first shot of the second half.  The goal was effectively gifted to them by a miskick from O'Sullivan, who teed up the forward for a straightforward strike.

The scoreline was given a lop-sided look with four minutes remaining when a long free kick found a forward who, yet again, was unmarked.  However, the shot was not well struck and goalkeeper Oguido contrived to palm it into the net at his near post to make the score 5-2.  While that was not the result anyone at Ashford would have been looking for, Mark Butler will certainly have learned a good deal about the fitness and mental readiness of several of his squad, with the remainder set to feature at Bedfont Green just 24 hours later.