It was 24 years since the Fleet played Canvey Island at Park Lane during the Ryman League title race – there was no danger of a repeat of the famous floodlight failure from that night with this pre-season played out in blazing sunshine with barely any relief blowing off the sea just behind the ground.
In such conditions, Josh Wright opted to play two different Fleet sides in each 45 minutes but the game increased in pace and intensity as it wore on, in what the manager will have used as a first opportunity to cast his eye over the patterns of play and link-ups between his existing and new squad members.
Canvey started well and saw an early shot deflected behind for a corner as they forced a number of set pieces. Fleet’s first real foray in behind came on 11 minutes when Olly Box played across field to Maxx Manktelow coming in off the right flank but his header was off target.
Rem Oteh led the line with plenty of energy and he got on the end of Finlay Barnes’ supply, rounded the goalkeeper but was off balance and stumbled before he could convert. The Canvey keeper was quickly back on his feet to then thwart Barnes who took a more direct route to goal this time with a low drive through the middle.
With a hydration break midway through the half, greeted with good-natured World Cup-style boos by those in attendance, the referee had to cool a few tempers on the Canvey side as their centre-back received a stern talking-to.
Barnes teed up an inviting free-kick for Box whose header was cleared and a similar set-piece by Lennon Peake after Gene Kennedy was upended was deflected wide.
Josh Passley increasingly unnerved the Canvey defence with his usual tireless running as the half wore on before Kennedy’s effort on goal was blocked late on.
Will Buse didn’t have an awful lot to do at the other end and on the odd occasion Canvey threatened, his defence mopped up well with Hessenthaler lying deep to assist.
It was all change in the second-half and Ben Chapman got things off to a start with a bending shot that swung through the box but past the post. Four minutes later, Canvey got away on the break from a Fleet corner and should have scored but their No.14 planted the ball wide from a promising angle.
Fleet went even closer just on the hour mark. A good run by Chapman saw him sent to ground and Charlie Seaman struck the resulting free-kick off the crossbar.
With the mercury rising, Fleet kept on pressing and had a number of chances as first Will Tizzard’s header was well gathered by the goalkeeper, who also kept Dom Samuel and Daniel Ogunleye frustrated. Samuel and Chapman both had two more excellent chances but swung their shots over the bar.
Harvey Walker and Jake Vokins combined well down the left and both had several incursions into the box but nothing really dropped in the 12-yard zone for the visitors.
Both sides had solid chances to win it as Toby Edser’s shot nicked the post at one end before Tizzard performed a fantastic acrobatic stop on the line from a goalbound Canvey effort.
Josh Wright was more than satisfied with the first afternoon’s work and promised more to come as the levels rise and the familiarity grows with each passing friendly.
EUFC First-Half: Buse, Passley, Gbadebo, Trialist A, Hessenthaler, Kennedy, Manktelow, Peake, Barnes, Box, Oteh.
EUFC Second-Half: Hall, Nelson, Vokins, Tizzard, Vennings, Edser, Seaman, Walker, Chapman, Ogunleye, Samuel.
Photos: © EUFC/EdMiller
