Presteigne St Andrews FC recorded their first win of the pre-season and they did it in some style as they beat a useful Holme Lacy side 3-0 at Llanandras Park on Saturday, 29 July.
This was a bright, competitive match throughout with both side fully committed and some tasty challenges flying in.
If you would like to see a few thoughts from manager Shaun Harris then you can do so by clicking here or on the image at the top of this story.
The home side took the lead midway through the first half when Matt Strangwood came up with what will surely already prove a contender for Presteigne’s goal of the season.
He collected the ball around 30 yards out from goal and, as Holme Lacy defenders stood off him, Matt needed no second invitation as he hit a fierce drive high to the goalkeeper’s left and into the top corner of the net – it really was a fine strike.
The visitors rallied and created good chances of their own – they hit the bar while Anthony ‘Rambo’ Vernalls in the Presteigne goal made a couple of smart saves.
In first-half injury time Presteigne were to double their lead when a ball in from the right-hand side was handled by a Holme Lacy defender and the referee immediately pointed to the spot.
Matt Strangwood stepped up and went for power as he lashed the ball into the net to make it 2-0 at the break.
The second half began in the same vein with Presteigne passing the ball well and – crucially – holding on to the ball for longer periods than in recent performances.
They came close to extending their lead when a corner in from the left was fired goalwards and headed up on to the underside of his own crossbar by a defender on the line.
The third goal when Tom Crichton ran on to a through ball and produced a very composed finish in holding off the attentions of a defender before rounding the advancing goalkeeper and rolling the ball into an empty net.
Any thoughts of a Holme Lacy comeback were all but snuffed out as Presteigne still looked dangerous going forward with some of the youngster players causing problems with their pace.
Holme Lacy did create a couple of late chances, one of which hit the post, but Presteigne easily saw out the game to close out a comfortable victory.
Credit to the side who produced what many felt was the best performance by a Presteigne St Andrews side at Llanandras Park for a number of seasons.
It wasn’t such a good night for the Reserves on Friday, 28 July as they ran into a very strong Clee Hill side that left Llanandras Park with a 11-2 victory.