Tuesday, July 19, 2011

United continued their preparation for the new Ryman League campaign with a showpiece friendly against Premier League giants Arsenal at the Pilot Field this evening, the Gunners' cultured collection of Reserve and Youth Team players cantering to a predictably landslide victory in front of a highly impressive pre-season crowd of well over 2,000.

Jason Hopkinson made two changes to the side that kicked off the U's opening friendly at Dover last week, with striker Kenny Pogue and midfielder Lee Carey replacing Wes Tate and Freddie Foreman respectively, while former Lewes youngster George Jones was the one completely new face amongst the substitutes, although Dan Bolwell, Jamie Crellin Jonno Melia and Yani Camara were all making their first home appearances for the Club.

The visitors remained entirely true to their promise to send a strong second string line-up to the south coast for a game to mark the official unveiling of United's year old floodlights. Captained by one time Sheffield United and Glasgow Rangers loanee Kyle Bartley, the Arsenal squad also featured the likes of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Sanchez Watt, who enjoyed loan spells with Championship sides Cardiff City and Leeds United last season.

All things pointed to a processional Arsenal victory, yet the U's so nearly got off to a dream start, giving their illustrious visitors a very early taste of their own medicine, as Arron Hopkinson and Lee Carey combined down the right, the latter's slick through ball releasing Pogue into the area for a shot from an acute angle, which keeper Reice Charles-Cook managed to divert inches wide of the far post with a fingertip save.

It proved to be the one clear sight of goal that United enjoyed all evening, with the Gunners slowly settling into the contest and ultimately picking off the home defence at will, especially down the flanks where the pace and skill of Emmanuel-Thomas and Luke Freeman was simply too much for the U's overworked full backs Scott Manning and Bolwell.

Marauding midfielder Chuks Aneke was another constant menace, having the first two attempts on Josh Willis' goal, before Watt and Freeman combined to set up Oguzhan Ozyakup for a simple opening goal on the quarter hour mark. Matt Hall fired a long range effort at Charles-Cook, as United tried in vain to find some attacking momentum of their own, but they were then undone by a three goal blast in the final ten minutes of the first half, which took the Gunners out of sight.

First, Watt cut inside from the left to create another simple chance for Emmanuel-Thomas to open his account, a second following within ninety seconds from Ozyakup's raking pass, while Bolivian international Samuel Galindo then slotted a neat pass through for Aneke to make it four just ahead of the interval.

Ten minutes after the restart, Emmanuel-Thomas again found space on the left and would have completed his hat-trick with an exquisite chip, had Rhys Murphy not applied the finishing touch on the goalline. United substitute Jack Dixon fired just wide from twenty yards moments after joining the fray, but it provided home supporters with merely temporary respite, as Watt tapped in after Willis had denied Arsenal sub Jernade Meade, before Ozyakup created an easy opportunity for Freeman to make it seven with twenty-five minutes still remaining.

Ozyakup struck the base of Willis' right hand post after Sean Ray and Manning left the ball for each other in the U's area, and poor marking from a Freeman corner allowed Meade to volley firmly home with a quarter of an hour left. Five minutes later, George Brislen-Hall chipped over a left wing cross for Freeman to sweep home number nine, and it took a stunning one handed save by Willis to prevent Watt from taking the score into double figures in the final few moments.

All in all, a slightly sobering experience for the U's then, although the occasion was always going to mean more to the Club than the final result itself. Yet whilst it is difficult to imagine that Hopkinson will have learnt too much about his players on the night, it was impossible not to admire United's desire to keep the ball on the ground, and to pass it from back to front, especially when faced with such classy opponents for whom such ideals are second nature of course.

United will have to come back down to earth on Saturday when they visit County League neighbours Westfield for their third pre-season outing, while the U's new look Under 18 side entertain Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday evening.

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Attendance: 2,315

Referee: Carl Brook (St Leonards on Sea)

Assistants: David Spain (Westfield) & Andrew Colwell (Eastbourne)