Blues march on in the Aldershot Senior Cup
We faced Camberley Town again on Tuesday night, the third meeting between the sides in just six weeks and, remarkably, all in different competitions.
This latest encounter came in the First Round of the Aldershot Senior Cup, and while we progressed, the scoreline could have looked very different were it not for an outstanding performance from Camberley goalkeeper Dom West, who produced a string of exceptional saves to keep his side in the game.
Camberley created the first clear opening after nine minutes when Michael Milchev-Szczepaniak fed Callum Kenny, who fired into the side netting. We responded well and soon began to settle. On the quarter-hour mark, we came inches away from taking the lead. A looping effort looked to have beaten West, only for him to somehow twist back and claw the ball away from behind him before it crossed the line. From the resulting corner we struck the post, adding to the feeling that a breakthrough was close.
The rest of the first half was scrappy, with much of the play centred in midfield and neither side carving out many chances. The match reached half-time at 0–0, with everything still to play for.
We made the perfect start to the second half. Within the opening minute we were awarded a penalty, and Sam Bartlett stepped up calmly, sending West diving away while placing his strike firmly down the middle to give us a 1–0 lead.
There was further positive news shortly after as Eoin Fraser returned to action, making his first appearance following a lengthy injury lay-off. His introduction was warmly received and added a lift across the pitch.
We continued to control the tempo, moving the ball well and limiting Camberley to very few openings. On 55 minutes, West again denied us, palming away a curling effort destined for the top corner. Camberley’s best moment came when Connor Doona headed over from inside the box, but otherwise they were restricted to half-chances.
West produced another excellent save in stoppage time from a close-range header, but it was not enough to change the outcome. When the final whistle blew, we secured our place in the Second Round of the Aldershot Senior Cup.
A professional performance, a clean sheet, minutes for returning players — and momentum carried forward.
Starting XI
- 1 Sam Grey
- 2 Tom Drinkwater
- 5 Joe Dyett
- 6 Liam Avery
- 7 Sam Bartlett
- 10 Theo White
- 12 Brad Manning
- 14 Callum McAllister
- 15 Alex Keating
- 16 Lewis Pearch
- 20 TJ Taylor
Subs
- 4 Eoin Fraser (on for Avery)
- 8 Sean Swift (on for White)
- 9 Charlie Postance (on for Keating)
- 17 Harrison Davey (on for McAllister)
- 19 Ollie Burke (on for Bartlett)
