Newcastle Benfield made the short trip to local opponents Heaton Stannington for the annual Jimmy Rowe cup in memory of the long-time Benfield chairman Jimmy Rowe, who was the founder of the football club.
This was Benfield’s first preseason game of the coming season with a totally different squad of eleven new players signed for this forthcoming season. The game was typical of a preseason match, with both teams trying to get used to new systems and new players’ strengths and weaknesses with nothing much to report for the first twenty minutes.
Things changed in the twenty-fourth minute with a goal to Heaton Stannington, a free kick out on the right flank was taken by Ex Benfield player Ritchie Slaughter, and was floated into the Benfield penalty area to hit a Benfield player and deflect into the goal, to make the score 1-0 to Heaton Stannington.
You could tell that this was the first preseason game for both teams as it lacked quality, and this was proven again in the thirty-second minute when a mistake by Benfield defender Brad Varga gave a chance to Matthew Ward who saw his effort well saved by Benfield goalkeeper Alfie Gordon for a corner.
From the resulting corner it should have been the second goal to Heaton Stannington, but Leighton Hopper saw his header fly over the Benfield crossbar thus leaving the score at 1-0 which was also the halftime score.
The second half brought no excitement for supporters of either team until the eighty-second minute with the second goal of the game, again it went to Heaton Stannington when a corner on the right wing was met by the head of Stirling, who saw his header fly into the Benfield goal, making the score 2-0 which was the final score.
The next game for Newcastle Benfield is a home game on Saturday 9th July against STIRLING UNIVERSITY 3pm K.O.