Hampton & Richmond Borough got their preseason programme underway on Wednesday, July 11th, with a home game against League One side Brentford.
Another unhappy night for the team as Salisbury managed to convert the precious few chances they made, the second goal wasn’t even a proper shot but in the end not even Dean Inman’s 3rd goal of the season in stoppage made much of a difference, writes Rob Overfield.
The second half turned into Beavers dominance; Tarpey had two clear opportunities within 5 minutes of the restart, hitting one shot at Puddy and then only managing to direct a simple header into Puddy’s hand after a neat cross from Reece Jones. Tarpey was the recipient of most of the chances but the touch that had seen him score 24 goals deserted him; put through by Powell, his shot was blocked by Puddy and Reece Jones could do nothing with the rebound. James Simmonds wasn’t to be ignored and with just 20 mins left on the clock, his attempt went wildly over after Darren Powell had created the opening. Time was running out for the Beavers, and Salisbury nearly caught them on the counter with 5 minutes to go but the shot was scrambled wide. Hampton fought back, Karle Andrews playing a delightful pass through the Salisbury defence but Tarpey had the ball taken off his feet by Puddy in a desperate dive. One of the chances was sure to be converted and as stoppage time began, some 5 minutes in total, the Beavers finally did get that goal. A corner had been forced and the box was crowded with Powell and Inman taking their places; the cross was only half cleared to Inman who with his back to goal, lifted it over his head past Puddy for the best goal he’ll get this year. It was late but was it too late? With time almost up, another corner to the beavers was awarded, and Inman again came storming in at the back post to meet Ferrell’s cross; his powerful header was on target but was straight at the flying Puddy, who clawed the ball away, saving the win for the Whites. This was a winnable game but the efforts of Puddy in the Whites’ goal meant it was not to be.
Hampton now have just three games left to preserve their Conference South status, starting with a home game against high flying Welling United this Saturday.
Many thanks to Rob Overfield for this report. Rob is the Press Officer at the Beveree Stadium, and he can be found on twitter here. The club are also on twitter, and you can visit their website by clicking here.