It was an evening which saw Marc White name only a few senior players in his matchday squad as rest and recovery was prioritised ahead of Saturday’s opening league game against Dagenham & Redbridge, goalkeeper Max Foulkes and midfield trialist Jonathon Page featuring for the majority of Tuesday’s friendly and strikers George Nikaj and Alfie Rutherford playing a half each.
Otherwise it was a night for the academy players to gain valuable senior match experience; second year scholar Dillon Grass (midfielder), Charlie Lamb (defender), Fin McIntyre (midfielder) and Sid Moore (winger) named in the starting XI alongside new first year scholars Aaron Goulbourne (winger), Noah Harris (defender), Georgie Helder (defender) and Beau Reive (midfielder).
Not long into the contest centre back Helder was tested with a couple of long balls over the top and Moore tracked back well to make a good headed clearence just outside the six yard box following a tantalising cross swung in from the Bracknell left.
Foulkes then produced a strong reaction save from an effort drilled straight towards him as a combination of awkward bounce and wind propelled a long ball forward, but a minute later the hosts did make their aggressive start pay off as a rapid move and cross from the right channel was tapped home from very close range by Taufee Skandari.
Skandari nearly doubled his tally after volleying the ball into the ground and wide at the back post a moment later latching onto another cross from the right, but that would prove to be the last real effort of the half for Adam Hopkins side as Wanderers settled into the game and took a real command of possession through the remainder of the half.
On 21 minutes Nikaj opted for a strike from range as space suddenly opened up entering the final third, the striker firing his effort over the bar before Reive found McIntyre with a lofted pass out to the left, McIntyre then doing brilliantly to drive into the box and force a strike which would come back out to Reive, his shot then cleared.
Wanderers went as close as they ultimately would do to getting on the scoresheet in the period just before half-time; Nikaj hitting a free kick fractionally wide from 30 yards out before Page’s shot was headed over by a defender just in front of goal. Goulbourne and Nikaj both struggled to fashion strong enough connections to passes into the six-yard box right at the end of the half, Nikaj also heading over the top as the Bracknell back-line weathered the late pressure to remain just in front at the end of the opening forty-five.
H/T | 1-0
Unable to quite pick up where they left off after the break, Wanderers found themselves two down five minutes after the restart; Harry Hamblin dispossessing the deepest lying Wanderers central midfielder and curling a clinical finish into the bottom right corner.
Momentum back with the home side, Harry Cooksley hit the outside of the post from a free kick in shooting range just prior to Foulkes making a good reaction save with his legs at the near post after Ruben Bartlett-Antwi fired low and hard from a tight angle.
Just past the hour, Bartlett-Antwi did get his goal finishing from close range to make it 3-0 after a quick team play advancing down the right.
First year academy goalkeeper Adam Woolgar came on for Foulkes with twenty minutes to go to make his first senior appearence, scholars Jayden Taylor and Ishmael Douglas-Warner also introduced in the latter stages alongside second year academy central midfielders Leo Bines and Jeremy Costa.
Bracknell continued to show no let up in front of goal despite the changes from both sides during the final part of the game, a header bouncing back off the bar and goal being ruled out for offside prior to Bartlett-Antwi earning himself the match ball with two more finishes, the latter virtually the last kick of the game.
Pre-season matchday schedule complete, attention for Marc White’s squad will now switch fully to a mouth-watering opening league showdown this Saturday as Wanderers welcome Dagenham & Redbridge to Meadowbank and begin their 26/27 National League South campaign.
Dorking Wanderers: Foulkes (Woolgar 70′); Harris, Helder, Lamb (Costa 82′); Goulbourne (Douglas-Warner 76′), Page, Grass (Barreca 70′), Reive (Taylor 76′), Moore; McIntyre (Bines 82′); Nikaj (Rutherford 46′)