The New Saints return to pre-season action against Gresford Athletic

Match Report

The New Saints made their return to action this morning, as they hosted Gresford Athletic in their first pre-season friendly.

A starting 11 of first team names took to the field for the first 60 minutes, before Craig Harrison took the opportunity to introduce a number of Academy players for the final 30 minutes.

Despite The New Saints dominating the ball and creating all of the chances in the early stages, it was Gresford who took the lead with 13 minutes on the clock.

Matty Worrall headed home Joe Nelson’s corner at the back post to give the team from The Rock a 1-0 advantage.

The Colliers’ lead lasted just three minutes though, as Declan McManus fired home an equaliser from the centre of the penalty area.

In the 19th minute, Ben Clark completed the turnaround, firing into the bottom corner after a deft touch from summer signing, Sion Bradley.

With 25 minutes played, the JD Cymru Premier champions added a third goal, as Ryan Brobbel stroked home into an empty net from inside the six-yard box.

McManus added a second and his side’s fourth with 31 minutes on the clock, before Brobbel took the ball around Lewis Dutton to add a TNS fifth two minutes before the break.

There was still time for more goals before the half-time interval, with Ben Clark slotting the ball into the far corner, and Declan McManus completing a hat-trick with the final kick of the half.

Two minutes after the restart, the visitors pulled a goal back when a trialist looped the ball over substitute goalkeeper, Reece Thompson.

In the 50th minute, however, Ryan Brobbel completed a hat-trick of his own from just inside the penalty area, before Gwion Dafydd headed home at the back post five minutes later.

A third hat-trick of the day was scored in the 58th minute, with Clark finding the back of the net, before The Saints went on to made 10 changes on the hour mark.

On the pitch for less than four minutes, Josh Lock got himself among the goals, making the score 11-2 in favour of The New Saints in the 63rd minute.

Another substitute, Tom Jones, got in on the act with 77 minutes gone, curling past Dutton from the left of the penalty area.

Just seconds later, Academy scholar, Louis Crofts, tapped home into an empty net to make the score 13-2, after being teed up by Lock to round off a comfortable victory for the team from Park Hall.

Starting line-up: Jack Edwards (Reece Thompson 46); Ash Baker, Josh Pask, Ben Woollam, Jordan Marshall; Leo Smith, Ben Clark, Ryan Brobbel, Sion Bradley; Gwion Dafydd, Declan McManus

Line-up for the final 30 minutes: Reece Thompson; Jake Humphries, George Handley, Ellis McCue, Oli Blayney; Brodie Summers, Luke Johnston, Josh Lock; Tom Jones, Josh Davies-Sewell, Louis Crofts

Lead image: F28.online