Pre Season Friendly, Saturday 20th July
My latest pre season match saw me over at a new and improved Woodside, home of Benfleet, and they have finally moved back home for their first ever season at Step Five after spending their entire senior status ground sharing at Canvey Island's Park Lane, some six years or so, but now Woodside has been transformed into a senior ground, so great news for the hosts.
In order to bring this ground up to standard a stand seating around 100 people has been added with two small covered terraces either side of that, along with fencing all around the ground to enclose it, a barrier around the pitch, concrete standing around the pitch, a walkway for the players to walk down onto the pitch from the dressing rooms, and a turnstile.
Dugout's have also been added onto the far side too, spectators can only view the game from three sides though as the dugout side does not have an area for those watching the game to stand in and watch, but that doesn't really matter as the rest of the ground is very neat and considering they only started work at the beginning of the year, it's some achievement and progress to have it ready for the new season. I was also informed it had passed the grading with flying colours only yesterday so all good news as Benfleet prepare for their debut season in the Essex Senior League.
They were up against a side in Hutton who made their debut in Step Six and Senior football last season and they almost ended it with promotion along with Benfleet from the same division, the Thurlow Nunn Division One South, but sadly for them lost out in the play offs, meaning another season at Step Six this season, so they were warming up for a campaign that they hoped ended with promotion at the second time of asking and maybe joining Benfleet in Step Five next season.
For now though it was all about getting ready for the upcoming season which for both starts a week today, Hutton were the ones to break the deadlock after just eight minutes when a cross from the right was headed home into the bottom corner, but three minutes before the break Benfleet levelled when a ball into the box broke to the hosts and saw a lovely powerful finish into the top corner off the bar, and it meant the sides went into the break all square.
A moment of controversy in the second half saw most of us in the stands applauding a wonderful goal from the visitors when a shot from range dipped beyond the keeper and appeared to thump the underside of the bar, hit the stanchion inside the goal and come out again, but the officials were pretty confident the ball had not crossed the line, so no goal was given, so it remained 1-1.
Hutton probably shaded the second period and it was probably fair that they regained the lead with nine minutes to go when a lovely ball in from the right was swept home into the far corner, and then with a minute of the game remaining a lovely control and finish from inside the box sealed Hutton's win in their latest run out.
Both sides now have a week to prepare for another important season, this was certainly a tough one in humid heat so no doubt fitness was improved as more miles in the legs was achieved.
Full time Benfleet 1 Hutton 3
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