The problem with going to Ludlow for an opening pre-season friendly is that you keep bumping into dozens of people that you haven’t seen for around two months. The result, of course, is that you miss two of the goals completely and spend the biggest part of the evening discussing the signing of Harry Pell and scandal mongering about the trialists.
Having said that, it was great to be back at a football match after the break and when Delroy Facey opened the scoring barely five minutes into the game with his first ever touch in a HUFC shirt you could almost hear the rattle of coins landing on counters of bookmakers. Trialist, Ian Morris, who had already impressed with an early feed to Fleetwood, slotted a through ball to Facey and the debutant finished calmly from just inside the box.
Although the remain part of the first period failed to produce further goals, it was, as they say, a useful workout as The Bulls probed through Lunt and Pell who both showed fine control and positional awareness in midfield. Facey led the line well and demonstrated his ability to win balls in the air as well as some good chest control to enable him to bring others into the game. The hosts provided determined defence albeit a bit robust on occasions and a willingness to break quickly when the opportunity arose. For The Bulls, Morris was particularly threatening while at the back; Green, Stam, Townsend and young Kyle McCarthy at left back were all solid.
The second period saw plenty of changes and a more purposeful Bulls team in attack. Former Bull, Danny Williams joined the fray along with Rob Purdie and youngster Tom (?). Ian Morris scored a couple of fine goals, one absolute corker from 25 yards and another clinical finish when he got on the end of a teasing cross from Rob Purdie. Danny Williams got the first of the second half goals, and to be fair, could have had another soon after and Janos Kovacs also powered a header in to round of the scoring.
Fleets was a bit quiet during his first 45 excursion but, as with several of the regulars, it seemed that they were running on less than all cylinders. By comparison, the youngsters and trialists of the second 45 probably had a bit more to prove.
A comfortable start and we now wait a week before checking on the suntan and football improvements at Estadio Pegasus on July 21st.
Can someone please bring me a stick of rock from Molina Segura?