27/08/2026
Open Age
Patrington Too Much For A Mixed Hedon
Patrington Stanley 1s | 6
Hedon Rangers XI | 3
Last Tuesday saw Patrington Stanley Firsts sail to victory in a nine-goal thriller, taking the share in a 6-3 victory.
It was a tight game to start with but Stanley’s quality shone through by the end, with goals from an ‘Own Goal’ after a header was inadvertently turned into their own net by the Hedon player, Tom Ward, Rhys Wake, Scott Lyon, Connor Gallagher and Charlie Ashwell.
In return, it was 3 very defendable efforts, the first scored by Hedon being a calamity of misjudgements, with as many as 4 players with a part to play in Hedon scoring their first of the game; the equaliser after Ward’s freekick had indirectly put Patrington ahead.
Ward then put his side back in front when being found on a breaking run and given enough time to consider his shot, which was driven hard and low past the keeper.
A 2-1 lead and, credit to Hedon, against a side who had looked very good on the ball and dangerous on the attack, there was a belief from the manager that Stanley could go on and win this game still.
Ward again played a big part in what happened next, when literally within a minute of the second half kicking off, he’d found an on rushing Rhys Wake down the left with a lovely weighted pass for Wake to take in his strike and fire it into the roof of the next, which was a carbon copy of what had been worked on in training for the previous weeks.
3-1 to the good and feeling in the driving seat, everything changed when Hedon hit a quickfire double in return, firstly a corner being put in and headered home by an unmarked player for Hedon, before not long later earning a clever penalty by the use of their body and getting to the ball first to draw contact. The penalty was scored although the keeper Mackenzie Gallagher-Ward will feel frustrated having dived the correct way. 3-3 was now the score with Hedon in a position to continue for more due to what was a clear momentum swing, but Patrington stood firm and fought their way back into proceedings.
Two team-inspired efforts to see Lyon and Ashwell on the scoresheet and Gallagher making his own chance through another trademark turn of pace all proved too much for Hedon.
Despite disappointment at conceding 3 goals, tallying 6 at the other end will give the Patrington boss reason to smile with that being the bigger head-scratcher in preseason so far.
Late Penalty Earns A Draw For Reserves
Patrington Stanley 2s | 1
FC Esperanza | 1
It was a very late spot kick with squared things up for the reserves last week and allowed them to leave the game with something to cheer about.
Up against newly formed FC Esperanza, Patrington Reserves faced an unknown and will have been slightly disappointed not to have done better, but encouraged by the experience gained from the encounter. It is always a difficult job as a reserves team manager, but from what has been seen through preseason thus far, the group of players at Patrington could be described as an honest bunch and not only eager to learn, but have overall proven themselves readily available on numerous occasions. With a few big additions and a very competitive squad at the first team bound to see some talented players on the fringes, it also provides what would be a fantastic spine for the reserves to build from.
As for the FC Esperanza game, it was described as a physical match up which didn’t see a goal until halfway through the second half. This was when the visitors took the lead after what was deemed by some as a foul in the build up when unnoticed.
FC Esperanza tried to keep Patrington out but to be fair to the Reserves they pushed hard for a reply. One of the visitors knocked his team back when he was sent off for two yellow cards, and eventually Patrington got their big chance from the penalty spot after Luke Hoggard was sent running through and was brought down inside the box. It was implosion for the new side at this point, with another player then being given his marching orders for dissent, leaving them with only 9 players on the pitch.
The pressure now on, Mike Penny smashed the penalty home to equalise and the final moments were Patrington pushing hard for a late winner. Time did run out here and the two sides could walk away with plenty to learn and work on from the match up.
Patrington Cruise In A Frustrating Evening
Patrington Stanley 1s | 4
Kingswood United Dev. | 2
Despite what felt like, and for those in attendance, looked like, a comfortable victory in the end, the home contingent felt underwhelmed after leaving Patrington Playing Fields last Thursday evening.
Perhaps now becoming victims of their own high standards, the 4-2 victory over a side they will meet again in the league this season didn’t satisfy them.
Having started steadily, but hardly at the self-imposed levels expected, Patrington never really looked troubled after a couple of early corners from the visitors threatened to give them the opener, one of which hitting the crossbar as it floated over everyone.
In many ways, the possession-play and build up was some of the easiest on the eye seen in what has been a long but educational preseason. The root of the annoyance, and the latest hurdle yet to be overcome by the Patrington boys, is to then be able to manage the tempo of the match slightly better and build up attacks to greater effect. There is still a whisp of ‘rush’ about their game which is to be massaged out, but the improvements are clear.
As for the game itself, it was an Ashwell set piece whipping it in for a powerful Sam Dawson header to open the scoring on the 32nd minute before Ashwell himself had one cleared off the line 7 minutes later.
A 1-0 lead at the break was more than earned by Patrington, the frustration being that on the balance of the game it was not capitalised on further.
Patrington made sure not to allow the second half to follow the same script as the first and with a sweeping passing move, a great ball from Tom Ward finds Scott Lyon who nods it back down across the box for Ashwell to finish first time, 2-0.
It was just before the hour mark when Tom Ward whipped a corner in which the keeper couldn’t deal with it, not getting enough on it to prevent it going straight in, Ward claiming the goal.
The pressure kept piling too, with Stanley’s 4th then coming when pressure from the front resulted in a Kingswood defender kicking the ball against Ashwell, the rebound falling kindly to Scott Lyon, who put the finish away with confidence.
From what was looking like one way traffic and a clean sheet only a matter of time, Kingswood won a penalty out of nothing. Picking the ball up on the halfway line and running diagonally across the pitch towards the Patrington box while being tracked by 4 players, he was needlessly brought down inside the area, Sewell converting from the spot.
It wouldn’t be the last goal of the game, Kingswood getting a second when a half chance was not cleared properly, allowing the visitors to reduce the deficit to two goals.
The rest of the game was played out but with frustration due to the careless nature of the goals conceded. It’d been an area which had been worked on a lot through preseason and the previous friendlies so to ship two late on so needlessly will have dampened what was otherwise a solid victory, even if not completed to the expected standards.
There is little time left in preseason in terms of matches, but training always provides a platform to improve, and it’ll be there where more work will be put in.
Stanley Get Reality Check In Final Preseason Test
Patrington Stanley 1s | 1
Robin AFC | 4
There were to be no complaints at full time in Patrington Stanley’s final preseason fixture which saw Robin AFC run out worthy winners, 1-4.
In a matchup which will have seen both sides missing a few faces who’d been pulled away towards the MKM for Hull City’s opening Premier League fixture with Manchester United, it was a chance for both clubs to continue to use preseason to it’s fullest and experiment.
That was certainly the case for Stanley who, in their final preseason game, opted to try a new system which could be called upon later in the season if or when required. Unfortunately, it will have done little to invite the manager to revisit the shape and style change in a hurry, with Robin afforded time and space to take control of the game for long periods, and therefore there’ll no doubt be a focus on this in training for the weeks to come.
Following kick off, Patrington actually started quite brightly, making decent progress down the left, resulting in decent territory gained and within 5 minutes in was a shot on target, albeit a weak one, from David Nolan.
It was only 2 minutes later however, the ball was in the net at the other end of the pitch. A clumsy foul to give away a freekick was then compiled with a quick couple of passes, a cross which should have been dealt with better, and an opposition man who had broken from his marker with too much ease poking it in across the goal and into the side netting.
Robin has already began to take control of possession but Harvey Clarke managed to break down the left thanks to Nolan winning things back in the centre. The trend continued in the early stages, but again a bit of good football, perhaps slightly against the run of play saw Liam Constantine pass into Clarke, who’s weighted return was perfect for Constantine to rush onto and drill first time inside the near post for an equaliser.
The lead was held for all of 1 minute before Patrington again dropped themselves in it; a weak back-pass made it a foot race between the onrushing attacker and the outrushing Joe Gardner, which the Patrington keeper finished second in, bringing the Robin man down, a clear penalty.
A little bit of luck involved, the penalty taker scuffed his lines but it was enough to wrongfoot the keeper entirely, the visitors regaining the lead, 1-2.
The pattern remained, and although there were some nice spells through the half, it wasn’t enough to really say there was much substance in it.
Big chances went either way before the break, Robin somehow managing to hit the bar from 6 yards, while Constantine dragged a shot painfully wide when presented with a near identical chance to the one he score earlier.
Unfortunately, it was the ex*****on which was stifling Stanley’s chances, the final ball continually cut out by a stubborn opposition defence or ran through too far to their goalkeeper and Robin deserved their lead at the halfway mark.
A reminder that this was only another test in preseason and an opportunity to improve things and work on various areas, the manager was reluctant to change and tasked the Patrington players to improve things in the second half.
The locals started positively and in just the 48th minute, what should have been a Patrington penalty when Rhys Wake beat the Robin keeper to the ball inside the box, was actually pulled back for an offside decision in the visitors' favour, despite replays showing a dawdling defender keeping Wake onside by about 12 yards!
It could have been a pivotal moment for Patrington who would have surely been spurred on by an early equaliser, instead they had to continue to search.
Another opportunity saw Constantine latch onto a loose ball in the box but the shot had no power and was an easy stop.
It was the 76th minute which knocked the stuffing out for the home side, when what was felt to be a soft penalty was awarded to Robin, a second penalty conceded by Patrington in the game and 3rd in the last two matches, which was duly dispatched from the spot for a 1-3 lead.
Stanley never really looked capable of coming back into things from there, possession too easily turned over in needless areas or when better decisions were available.
It was 5 minutes from time when Robin put the icing on their cake, rounding things off when an effort was followed in by their attacker to put it into the net after an initial two saves, again the defence too static.
To try to find the positives, which on Saturday afternoon seemed few, it may actually be a needed reminder that, despite what had otherwise been a flawless preseason for the first string in terms of results, anything less than their best will not be accepted. Perhaps the last game of preseason before the serious stuff starts on the 5th September might be a good time to have that reminder.
On top of that, it was what was noted both before and after the game to the team, as requested change approach to see how the lads would cope. The answer was ‘not very well’, but it’s a good lesson to learn now rather than in a few months’ time, and trying so against a Robin AFC side from the league above means testing things against what would be expected to be some of the strongest opposition Stanley will likely face this season.
It was also nice to see Aidan Snaith return from a recent short-term injury and try a few others in positions they had not yet seen in preseason or in unfamiliar partnerships. These are all opportunities preseason presents, and the result is secondary, for now.
Credit to the visitors who deserved their victory and the best of luck to them for their season ahead.
As for Patrington, it’s two weeks’ worth of training sessions to iron out any remaining ‘creases’. This outing revealed a few.
Rampant Robins Run Riot
Patrington Stanley 2s | 0
Robin AFC Reserves | 8
It was not a day the newly named co-management duo of Mike Penny and Danny Cothay will look back fondly on, and the sooner it can be erased from memory, the better.
Granted, only coming in at the break 0-1 down would suggest that the game was there for either side, and at the time you could argue that was correct. Patrington’s objective for the first half was to sit in deep and absorb pressure, which for the most part was done well. Chances of any quality were limited for the most part, with a few half efforts for the visitors drifting harmlessly wide.
Principles instilled in train were attempted to be followed too by looking to pass and enjoy the ball when possible, despite consistency being lacking it the attempt sometimes.
Robin had the first clear chance of the game after 8 minutes when a cross whipped in from the left was met and headered agonisingly wide. 5 minutes later the visitors hit the bar from the edge of the box while Patrington Reserves struggled to find a foothold.
As for Patrington’s chances, they were limited nearly entirely to a Penny cross to Alfie Watt who could only manage to volley straight at the keeper from close range after 25 minutes, otherwise the first half was mainly one way traffic as Robin gained confidence and looked dangerous on most attacks.
It was the stroke of halftime when Robin AFC Reserves broke the deadlock, a long throw from Patrington was cleared and the visitors struck a counter attack with a well weighted pass setting their attacker free through the heart of the Stanley defence, and although initially blocked, the ball ricocheted back into his path to duly poke home.
They could have even been 2 or 3 goals to the good when a couple of good crosses from the left were met by a free striker in the box who’s headers were poor.
It was about to get much worse for the Reserves, as with the turn of half time, the flood gates quickly appeared to have been opened.
Goals in quick succession in the 47th, 49th, 55th and 58th rounded out 4 goals shipped in 11 minutes with little response other than a Mike Penny header wide from a cross.
Things could have been worse when a stone wall penalty for the Robin side was waved away, albeit not likely to make much of a difference on the scoreline. Further goals followed in what was truly a rout in the second half.
Special credit must be given to Robin AFC Reserves number 20, who on his debut was a real difference maker, scoring 4 and making 3 assists.
As for Stanley’s Reserves, there were no complaints had following a game they were clearly second best in from the first whistle.
The positives to be taken from the game, as difficult as they may have been to see at the time, were more encouraging performances from a selection of the younger players, Matthew Beedham and Harry Fawcett singled out, along with mentioned for Ben Liddell and Reid Stephens.
It’s a difficult pill to swallow for what is predominantly a very young side, but these are the trials and tribulations of open age football so many still have yet to learn.
With another game to come on Wednesday 26th (yesterday at time of print), it is to be hoped there will be reinforcements yet to be added who’d missed this fixture due to work, holidays and the opening of the Premier League season.
