Game 1: Downton 0.0 Amesbury (Friendly) 19.07.11

Photolink: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjvANx29

For the first game of the season I decided to take the short drive down to Downton for a local fixture against Amesbury Town. My record at Downton wasn't great last season - while the team won 27 home games on their way to the Wessex 1 title, I managed to see both their defeats in the FA Cup competitions and the best league performance I witnessed was a draw. It was a nice surprise to bump into Mike Turner on the gate and discover he's been appointed as Downton's secretary for the forthcoming season.

While I've seen some high scoring friendlies in the past at this ground, this match went the way of the last competitive game I saw here and finished in a 0.0 draw. Both teams looked a little rusty with passes going astray and heavy first touches giving the ball away. When there were chances, neither team had the killer instinct from close in and efforts from distance were either well saved or well over the bar.

The best chance of the first half fell to Amesbury when a Downton player hit a backpass too short without considering the players around him. The Downton keeper rushed out but wasn't able to beat the onrushing Amesbury player to the ball. However his race out of the box led to the Amesbury player pushing the ball too far ahead and wide, allowing the Downton defender to get back and put a tackle in. This was enough pressure to see the Amesbury player hit the ball wide of the far post. Downton for the most part were in control of the game but their shots were mostly daisy cutters that the Amesbury keeper dealt with easily.

The second half was similar fare, enjoyable to watch as both teams created chances and kept the keeper's busy. After a multitude of substitutions while the sun set, it was Downton who controlled play and came close with a Gain shot that flashed wide. Amesbury had the best chance to win the match midway through the half with a stunning shot that the Downton keeper did well to get a hand to.