Egham Town started their pre-season friendlies with a game on plastic against Windsor & Eton FC. The opposition are a newly formed club, taking the name of the club that used to play at Stag Meadow, and went under due to large debts. They are not the same as Windsor, who were relegated last season from CCL Premier and will compete this season in CCL One. During the close season Windsor had problems with their lease, and are apparently new residents at Slough Town's Arbour Park. Windsor & Eton will play in the Thames Valley Premier League, which is at Step 7. It is they who are now resident at Stag Meadow.
With the departure of manager Jordan Berry, and many of our squad members from last season, who have followed him to try their luck at relegation-reprieved Harrow Borough (Step 3), Egham Town recruited Jay Gasson and Manny Williams, who have plenty of playing and managerial experience at clubs including Basingstoke Town and Chertsey Town.
Saturday gave them a chance to assess a whole load of new players. One stayer is David Lopes, who played most of the match, and, looking on, Danny Campion. A goalless but entertaining first half against a determined Windsor & Eton side was followed by a second period in which we took the lead with a really good opener, five minutes in. W & E levelled with a direct free kick from our right wing, then the young forward who had scored our first ended another good move with his second. A sloppy penalty made it 2-2 then one more attack, in the 89th minute, ended with a neat finish from the edge of the box, for a 3-2 win.

In the meet-and-greet with Jay and Manny, the new bosses said they wanted to play sides from a higher level. The second Brunel fixture was on a full-sized grass pitch. The directions I gave were based on which entrance that was open for previous matches over the last two seasons. I was not the only one caught out. One new Egham player was just behind me as I rattled the locked gate. He went on about ten minutes in, and played really well in the centre of our defence against a Southall side that had Michael Edegbe in goal. Southall took a 6th minute lead as the defence was settling in, so it was to the Egham players' credit that the early setback did not unsettle a group who barely knew each others' names. Egham did go two down with a free kick that might have been more capably dealt with, but two minutes later David Lopes won the ball on the left and played Danny Campion in. He slid past two defenders and then beat Mr Edegbe with a nicely struck cross shot. Deep into the second half, after a long spell of good play from the Sarnies, Southall grabbed a third and might have made it four but a late penalty hit the bar and went out of play.
The squad that played on Tuesday had a more cohesive look about them. Unfortunately the young striker who scored twice on Saturday went off early on after a heavy challenge, but hopefully he will be fit for selection for the next match, away to a Slough Town U23 side at Arbour Park on Saturday.

SLOUGH TOWN - Arbour Park, Stoke Road, Slough SL2 5AY. KICK OFF 1 pm.

Mark