Chelmsford City 1-2 Stevenage Borough(friendly game)DESPITE the result, Glenn Pennyfather and the City coaching team claimed to be “very satisfied” from a positive display against Conference National opponents Stevenage on a wet and blustery evening at Melbourne Stadium.

Chelmsford City 1-2 Stevenage Borough

(friendly game)

DESPITE the result, Glenn Pennyfather and the City coaching team claimed to be “very satisfied” from a positive display against Conference National opponents Stevenage on a wet and blustery evening at Melbourne Stadium.

City started with a number of changes from the side that lost at Bury, with the experienced Ashley Harrison, Jamie Hand, captain for the evening Ollie Berquez and Jason Hallett all making their first starts of the pre-season period. Chelmsford lined-up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Hallett beginning alongside new boy Danny Hockton, a sign perhaps of things to come this season as Pennyfather looks to impose his own ideas on this new City side.

“I was very, very pleased with how we played tonight and hopefully we surprised a few of the supporters with just how much energy we showed,” he Glenn explained of his team's efforts. “Considering there were a number of new players I think we gelled very well. From what I saw I think we will be making a few more signings shortly.”

The first chance of the game came from City's Anthony Cook, who had a long range shot sail over the bar. Shortly after, the heavens opened, with the faithful City supporters running for any cover they could find! The Clarets were keeping the ball flowing, aided by some generous refereeing, which resulted in newcomer Jack Obesteller having a shot deflected narrowly wide in the 11th minute.

On 15 minutes, Berquez was fouled on the edge of the box, with the resultant free-kick from Hand being missed by everyone in a crowded Stevenage penalty area. Shortly afterwards, a dangerous in-swinging free-kick from Jamie Bunce again missed the City strike force, as the hosts looked to press home their advantage.

With Stevenage posing little threat to Harrison in goal, City look the lead in the 25th minute. Following good link-up play with Jason Hallett, Hockton curled in a delightful goal low to the Stevenage goalkeeper for his first goal in the claret shirt since his return to the club. Pennyfather added: “We said we needed a goal tonight and Danny did just that for us. We brought him to the club to get us goals and I'm confident he will get more and more.”

Shortly after City scored, they momentarily lost concentration to let in Stevenage to score an equaliser against the run of the play through Charlie Griffin. But Chelmsford almost scored again in the 41st minute, with another cross from the impressive Cook narrowly missing City favourite, Hallett.

Chelmsford introduced Steve Ward at the start of the second half, but it was Stevenage who started the stronger side, with Harrison forced into a flying save in the 48th minute to deny Stevenage taking an unlikely lead. Much of the second half passed without incident, descending into a plethora of substitutions, as friendlies tend to do, with Lee Underwood making a first appearance for City along with a number of trialists.

It was a player from last season, Jamie Hand, who was impressing for City most in the second half, effortlessly dealing in central midfield with Stevenage's sporadic forays forward. In the 85th minute, Stevenage scored the only goal of the second half, when a deep cross from the right was headed over a stranded Harrison by Chris Beardsley for the winner, with the final five minutes of the game passing quietly.

In the main Pennyfather will be pleased with what he saw tonight, with several positives being able to be taken from the evening as he continues to shape his squad for the forthcoming season, with notable displays from Anthony Cook and Jamie Hand

City: 19 Ashley Harrison, 2 Matthew Lock, 3 Danny Bunce, 4 Simon Glover, 5 Ben Martin, 6 Jamie Hand, 7 Oliver Berquez, 8 Anthony Cook, 9 Jason Hallett, 10 Danny Hockton, 11 Jack Obestellar

12 Steve Ward, 14 Marlon Patterson, 15 Lee Underwood, 16 Erkan Okay, 17 Ricky Modeste, 18 Ronaldo Wright, 1 Chris Elad (GK), 20 Josh Brown, 21 Michael Alaille, 22 Mark Haines