So far this pre-season, it’s been an unblotted record for Wayne, Callum and Brian – although the latter two haven’t shown their faces that often! – but after three wins out of three, the mood in the camp is really good. The 4-0 win in midweek was a good run-out but today was going to be a completely different prospect – as we were welcoming Pennington Reserves to The County Ground. The boss has known all season that this one was the toughest on paper – impounded when we realised that some of their first-team had travelled over as well – but pre-season is about fitness and focus so the show must go on. We also had several key-faces missing for this one but as we’ve seen already, there’s plenty of depth in the squad so today would see how far we could stretch it. With a mid-day kick-off due to our first-team playing straight after, the lads got together early doors and with a confidence that comes from winning three on the bounce, this was feeling like it was going to be a great game of football…

When the boss named his starting 11, he was again going with the shape he has been forming all summer – and again Pomf took his place between the sticks. There were changes to the back four again so this time we had new-signing Jake Lord in at right-back and Robbie Smith on the left – joined by Matty Leigh and another new-boy Danny Gold in the central areas. Liam and Alex again formed that wall in front of them and the attacking three was made up of Nathan, Tom Robbo and top-scorer in preseason Ste Palin and back was Josh Nicholson to spearhead the front-line. That left us with a bench of Rav Brannigan, Shaun, Nico, Ben Stewart, Bradders and Jude – and as the referee called the teams forward, we settled in for what proved to be an interesting 90 minutes…

The game started with both sides working each other out but it was clear right from the start that this was going to be a tough battle – with challenges flying in and both sets of players not wanting to give an inch. Josh was working hard up top and supported well by Nathan and Ste, we looked like we had the running off them at the back. That said, they were also pushing well in attack and whenever they did get the ball down and space to use it, they were causing us problems. With 16 minutes on the clock, they worked the ball well and as it came into the danger-area, there was their No.10 in a couple of yards of space. He turned on a sixpence and arrowing his shot towards the bottom corner, he was already wheeling away in celebration – before we all saw Pomf left to his left and finger-tip the ball around the post for a corner. A stunning save from our No.1 and surely signs that we needed to tighten up back there. Forward came County though and with some slick passing through the middle, the ball found it’s way to Ste who drilled it towards goal – only to see it whistle just past the upright. This was end-to-end stuff and we were more than making a match of this…

But when the first goal came, it was the visitors that got it and we were a little guilty of ball-watching when it came. They had won a corner over to their right and as it was swung in, we seemed to clear the first ball – only to see the second ball land at the feet of their striker and he made no mistake in slamming past Chris from about 8 yards out. We had huffed and puffed and seen some good chances go astray – and now the Pennington lads had taken the lead. This was a new feeling in preseason that’s for sure. 0-1…

The lads kept their heads – apart from at some points – as we looked for a way back into the game and we made a change that saw Nathan go up top, Robbie Smith pushged forward one and Shaun into the action to name but one – and as the half wore on, it was looking pretty much like stale-mate with both sides pushing and pulling each other all over the park. But when the referee decided that he had seen enough and blew his whistle for the break, it was the away side that were going in with the lead. There was work for the coaches to do here…

Half-time: BOLTON COUNTY RESERVES 0-1 Pennington Reserves

Wayne and Callum set about pepping up their players as apart from the score-line, we were doing alright out there. Some of our passing could be crisper and we could back behind the ball a little faster – but if we kept playing football and making the ball do the work, chances would come. It was about taking them then so if we continued to press from the front and work as a unit, good things were still available here. More changes were made and as the lads gulped their drinks, they prepared themselves for another 45 minutes of hard graft…

The second period started with the County lads working the ball well down the channels and pushing the team in blue all the way back into their own half. This meant we were playing higher up the pitch and with that, spaces started to appear. One of them happened on 57 minutes and in the blink of an eye, County were level. The ball was fed out to the wing and as it came back in, there was Ste Palin in the right place at the right time – for the fifth time in four games – to slam his shot wide of the diving Pennington keeper and into the back of the net. 1-1 and we were very much back in this! Another top goal from Mr Palin as well…

Then came some minutes of madness in what can only be described as laughable considering the level of football this is. County had won the ball well in the middle of the park and as we fed it into their box, there appeared to be a clash of bodies – but before anybody knew it, the man in black had awarded a spot-kick to us. The away bench were furious and it was another one of those that we saw at Totty in midweek – if it had been given against us, Wayne would be livid too! But we’ll take anything so up stepped Nathan to take it. The home fans held their breath as he looked confident strolling forward – but despite sending their keeper the wrong way, he slammed his shot against the bar and back into play. A glorious chance to take the lead – gone. But on went the game and as we made more changes, onto the pitch came Ben, Rav, Bradders and Jude. We kept surging forward when we could and whenever the Pennington lads came back at us, Matty and Nico were coping with whatever they could launch at us. And with 78 minutes gone, it was the boys in blue that re-took the lead. We fed the ball down our right and as it came into the box, Rav managed to hook it around their defender for a shot to come in that cannoned off the post – but there was Ben Stewart to ram it home from close-range! A rare goal from the man-machine and we had taken the lead. 2-1 and Wayne was looking for the win now…

Urging his side to manage this game now, we started to slow things down and tried to keep possession of the football. And we were doing that really well until the inevitable happened – and with almost the last kick of the game, the referee awarded another dubious penalty – but this time to the visitors. The ball had again been played into the edge of the box and with what looked like an innocuous challenge, the man went down – and the main man pointed to the spot! Their midfielder lined it up and BANG! – he gave Chris no chance of stopping it. 2-2 and it was all-square again…

And that was that. There was hardly time to restart before the game came to an end and as the lads shook hands, they all knew that they had been in a battle out there. There was everything and if that’s what this season is going to provide, then we are well up for it! A massive thumbs-up to Lowey and the Pennington lads – we wish all the very best for the coming season chaps – and as we came away from here, Wayne had a broad smile on his face. He knew this was the hardest game of pre-season – and we are still unbeaten. Job done…

#UpTheCounty