| Date: 13-07-19Harriers and Bristol Rovers battle out a solid 1-1 draw |
The Harriers took on the Bristol Rovers first team today in a game that we took the lead through with a well taken goal from Ashley Chambers. Rovers equalised early in the second half through Tom Nichols when his glancing header beat Trialist A (otherwise known as Cameron Gregory)
Rovers had sent almost their full first team squad to us with only two of the players wearing shirt numbers not listed in their forty seven strong first team. The ones wearing 68 and 72 looked to have both come from their U23 set up.
It was the Harriers who looked the strongest in a mostly one sided first half with Ed Williams hitting the junction of the wood with a fiercely taken free kick that saw another trialist (Trialist B) line up alongside him to take it. This one wearing the number three shirt looked very good playing at full back but it’s not know who he is. He would make a good addition to the side.
Chambers goal came in the thirty fifth minute of the game when he, again, broke free from his marker and capped off a, so far, fine game with a well taken goal as he rounded the Rovers keeper, Anssi Jaakkola, to slot the ball home.
Williams and Milan Butterfield also had great chances to score without any of them quite hitting the spot. Williams in particular having a good game.
The second half was not so good a spectacle for the Harriers fans in the crowd of under a thousand with Rovers coming out after the break looking to impress their difference in league status on us. Both sides had made changes each at the break with, for the Harriers, Harry Higginson coming on for James O’Connor while Rovers sent on Liam Sercombe and Luke Russe who came on as straight swaps for Ed Upson and Abu Ogogo.
Seven minutes in and they’d drawn level when Nichols was able to adjust his run to glance a header from a Luca Hoole cross into the far corner.
After that both sides began to make more changes with the Harriers doing theirs in twos while Rovers went for the mass option and sent a coachload on leaving just the two half time subs in place. We then completed our changes soon after with only Gregory remaining from the starting eleven.
The game was over as a competition and our academy battled hard to keep the professionals at bay. A feat they accomplished well with the game closing out at one apiece.
Line up: Trialist A, Austin, Trialist B, O’Connor, Moyo, Johnson, Butterfield, Weeks, Chambers, Williams, Prosser.
Subs: White, Higginson, Taylor-Randle, Fuller, Scott, D. Lowth, Hall, S. Lowth, Stratford, Fenlon, Brooks, Dutton.
Att: 868 (193 away)