FOUR second half goals granted Swindon Town manager Richie Wellens’ some food for thought tonight after fifth-tier non-league outfit Brimscombe and Thrupp were beaten 6-0 at The Meadow.
Trialist Quentin Ngakoutou made a name for himself before striking a possible deal at SN1 - scoring two impressive second half goals – while Lawson D’Ath and Will Randall also got on the scoresheet.
First half goals came from Keshi Anderson and Jerry Yates, but the evening’s biggest talking point falls with the potential of Town’s 10 trialists.
Lawson D’Ath, Oliver McByrne, Lewis Leigh-Gilchrist, Daniel Ballard, Bay Downing, Quentin Ngakoutou, Will Randall, Darren Lyon and Tom Anderson all featured in the game’s second half – in the company of Joe Romanski and Ellis Iandolo.
Goalkeeper Shamal George, who is still yet to put pen-to-paper, played in the first half. Luke McCormick missed out with a minor injury and is expected to return on Friday for Town’s visit to Swindon Supermarine.
The contest was split into two halves for Town, with first-team players – and trialist ‘keeper George – starting the first half while the second half was made up largely of trialists.
In the opening half, Tyler Reid, Dion Conroy, Zeki Fryers and Rob Hunt made up the back four, with Cameron McGilp filling the holding role.
Adam May and Michael Doughty sat in midfield while Jerry Yates, Kaiyne Woolery and Keshi Anderson completed the XI.
Noticeably, Hunt and Reid adopted attacking full-back roles, advancing forward at any opportunity to deliver balls into the box.
Only six minutes had past and Town already found themselves two goals ahead. Doughty unselfishly delivered a through ball in the direction of Anderson to hand Town the lead, before Yates scored a tap-in following strong build-up play from Woolery.
Those goals combined, the opening minutes of Town’s 2019-20 campaign started brightly.
And while chances were aplenty building up to the half-hour mark, shots were dragged wide or blasted over home ‘keeper Ashley Gale’s crossbar.
Anderson flashed two chances wide before Yates embarrassingly dragged his one-on-one effort with Gale beyond the post following a poor defensive clearance.
The miss unsettled Town, who were momentarily thrown onto the back foot by their tier nine opponents. James Campbell almost escaped Town’s offside trap before he later - out of frustration – drove a 20-yard strike over Shamal George’s crossbar.
While there were patches of inconsistency in Town’s game leading up to the half-hour mark, Dion Conroy stood out as a stable figure in the heart of defence.
Anderson and Woolery weren’t immune to a few pre-season blunders, while May unsuccessfully tried his luck from close range and distance more than once as the half ended 0-2.
Wellens and Hunt then experimented with their nine trialists in the second half.
Will Randall got himself on the scoresheet before Ngakoutou opened his account.
Lawson D’Ath struck a third for Town’s makeshift second half XI, but it was Ngakoutou’s second goal that caught the eye – a long-range curling effort that found the corner of the net.
Town’s pre-season campaign continues on Friday night when they visit the Webbswood Stadium to face Swindon Supermarine.
Town first half XI: Shamal George, Tyler Reid, Rob Hunt, Dion Conroy, Zeki Fryers, Adam May, Cameron McGilp, Michael Doughty, Keshi Anderson, Kaiyne Woolery, Jerry Yates.
Town second half XI: Lawson D’Ath, Oliver McByrne, Ellis Iandolo, Lewis Leigh-Gilchrist, Daniel Ballard, Bay Downing, Quentin Ngakoutou, Will Randall, Darren Lyon, Joe Romanski, Tom Anderson.
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