The Fleet rounded off pre-season with the only result not in their summer collection – a draw. Both sides scored late on, with Fleet taking advantage of an own goal to come back from a goal down, while the home side hit the woodwork twice.
The first chance of the match came in the fifth minute when a lively ball from Lewis Page picked out Ben Chapman whose shot first time was just off target. Crawley had a chance at the other end of the field when Rushian Hepburn-Murphy came sliding in at the back post but he mistimed his move and steered the ball just wide.
The closest anyone came to that point was midway through the first-half when Dominic Poleon’s darting run towards goal supplied Jim Kellermann and his sliding shot towards goal ricocheted off the post and back to goalkeeper Joe Wollacott to collect.
The Fleet certainly enjoyed the better possession in the opening stages. Another strong run from Chapman saw him play in Dom Samuel whose shot towards goal was denied. Samuel then tested Wollacott with another effort but the goalkeeper made the block once again to keep the Fleet at bay.
As half-time loomed, Crawley looked for a breakthrough and Armando Junior Quitirna was in a good position to shoot but his effort was comfortably headed away by Tyler Cordner.
The first chance of the second-half went the Fleet’s way as well. Great play in the midfield saw Kellermann flick a back-heel towards Toby Edser who got a good first-time shot away but it was always rising.
The second-half wasn’t quite as lively as the first with both teams battling it out for possession. Substitute Tom Dallison headed Josh Wright’s delivery narrowly wide before Crawley advanced up the other end of the pitch, where substitute Harry Forster converted a curling shot from the edge of the area that Mark Cousins could do very little about.
A looping shot from Poleon was just off target with 10 minutes to go as the Fleet searched for a late equaliser and a flurry of substitutions by both sides punctuated the play.
But Fleet’s deserved equaliser arrived in the closing stages of the match. Wes Fonguck delivered a ball into the area from the left with Poleon lurking but he couldn’t get a touch before the ball was diverted past their own goalkeeper by a Crawley boot.
Fleet might have won it late on when Greg Cundle’s effort took a touch off a Crawley defender for a corner and Craig Tanner then sent a searching effort with great technique from an acute angle on to the top of the visitors’ crossbar but it wasn’t to be and the match ended all square.
EUFC squad from: Cousins, O’Neill, Page, Wright, Cordner, John, Kellermann, Fonguck, Samuel, Poleon, Cundle, Edser, Tanga, Phillips, Chapman, Dallison, Tanner, Thomas.
Attendance: 885
