Pre-season friendly

Shortwood United 1

Highworth Town 3

Two goals in the last 10 minutes gave Highworth the win in this pre-season friendly at Meadowbank on Tuesday evening,writes Jim Cunneen.

Up to that point Shortwood had matched a strong side and had created enough chances to be well in front. A raft of substitutions changed the face of the game and Wood gifted their visitors the win with sloppy defending.

Both sides missed early chances, with Parsons firing well over for Highworth and Will Hawes shooting narrowly wide for the home side.

Edenborough headed over for Highworth before the Wood took the lead with a peach of a goal after 23 minutes. There seemed little danger when Callum Preece got the ball 30 yards out, but he fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner which swung and dipped.

Adam Price had a shot deflected wide but just before the break George Burton made a superb save from Parsons. His shot was dipping under the bar, but Burton somehow managed to touch the ball over the bar.

Wood lost Jack Freeman at the break after he picked up a knock and it is to be hoped he will not be out for long having lost Liam Meredith already for six weeks.

Singh missed a golden chance to double Wood’s lead just after the break blazing over from 10yards after Nathan Marks set him up and Ben Prictor volleyed over before Ryan Thwaite headed wide.

Prictor smacked the bar from 12 yards and Wood were to rue these missed opportunities.

After 68 minutes Taylor went down in the box and a penalty seemed soft but Corrick sent Burton the wrong way to level it up.

In the last 10 minutes sloppy defending left Edenborough simple chances which they took comfortably to give Highworth the win and the score line a hardly justifiable lop sided look.

In the last minute Levy Cox was tripped as he was about to shoot but Wood’s strong appeals were ignored.

SHORTWOOD: Burton, Marks, Prictor, Thwaite, Joe Noakes, Adam Price, Callum Preece, Freeman, Singh, Hawes, Levy Cox, Harley Price, Humphreys, Romayne Thomas, Brandon Preece, Burns