Havant & Waterlooville 2-1 Kingstonian
HAVANT WON TODAY

The first game of pre-season is often a rather slow affair, with teams easing themselves back to fitness after the summer break. Not so this year for K's however, as they took on Conference South side Havant and Waterlooville, who had already played two games this season, in a game that had a surprising amount of bite about it.

With new goalkeeper Luke Garrard unavailable and Scott Smith, James Rose and Tony Reid all on holiday, it was not quite a full strength K's side that started. By the end of the game, some nine substitutes had been introduced in a game where Stuart McIntyre gave a chance to many trialists, including former K's players Dean Lodge, Damian Panter, Dave Ocquaye and Mark Rhodes.

The most notable event of the first twenty minutes was Danny Ward going off with blood running from a head wound, before the Hawks took the lead with a fine move. After a foul on the left by Tommy Moorhouse, Craig O'Connor was a step ahead of the K's defence to turn the low free kick past former Loughborough Uni goalkeeper Stephen Windegaard.

K's created few chances early on, the best of the half being when wing-back Wes Harrison got in behind the defence but his low cross was cleared, while Panter fired over in a scrappy opening period.

Photo: kingstonian.net

The second saw more action as the teams' numerous changes allowed the game to open up. Charley Side latched onto a through ball on 53 minutes to give equalise for K's, despite Havant's goalkeeper getting a touch to the ball.

Windegaard made an excellent save from a header following a corner and Steve Symes kept the scores level when he cleared a resulting overhead off the line. Havant regained the lead on 74 minutes though with an awesome free kick from Brett Poate. His fierce thirty-something yarder flew past the wall and gave Windegaard no chance.

K's could have secured a draw three minutes from time after an excellent run from Lodge, cutting into the box from the right. Unselfishly, he squared for tall trialist Pablo Jenkins, but Jenkins' low shot was hit at the legs of the goalkeeper and K's opened their pre-season with a defeat.

Photo: kingstonian.net