THE first preseason friendly for Hall Road Rangers ended in a hard fought 2-1 win over Goole AFC at Haworth Park on Saturday afternoon.
There was a contrast in quality from Hall Road in each half, resulting from this being the first game that they had played since the end of last season.
Hall Road started the game in a rusty manner with many passes going astray and they were unable to sustain any build up play for attacking moves as they kept breaking down.
Goole opened the scoring in the 8th minute through a blistering counter attacking move after a Hall Road attack had been halted in the Goole penalty box.
Szymon Czubik racing clear of the covering Conner Harman to slot his effort low into the far corner from the right hand side.
Hall Road could have levelled straight away after striker, Josh Batty, was bundled to the ground by a Goole defender.
The resulting penalty taken by Chris Spinks crashed back off the woodwork.
From then on, Hall Road started to take a hold of the game and created more and more goal scoring opportunities.
However, the majority of these were comfortable enough for the Goole goalkeeper to deal with, including one from a smart Harman run, who's shot was well gathered.

Half-time - Hall Road Rangers 0, Goole AFC 1 (Szymon Czubik 6)

The second half showed a continuation of the latter stages of the first half as Hall Road maintained the pressure on the Goole goal.
The impact of rolling substitutions was also beneficial as it injected more energy and potency into Hall Road’s attacking play.
One of these substitutes, Gareth Owen, levelled the scores up at 1-1 on the hour mark through a deft chip over the onrushing Goole goalkeeper.
Hall Road then took the lead in the 70th minute through a close range finish from right back Sam Belcher after a scramble in the Goole penalty box.
This proved to be the winner as the game began to lose some momentum.
The improvement in performance from Hall Road as the game progressed is a good sign for games to come as they eventually got into their stride and confidently passed the ball around.
It was also an opportunity for Hall Road to show off a couple of their new signings.
One of these was Louis Bruce who played at centre half and made a good impression in his first game for the club, whilst Jack Griffin also made a bright start in midfield.
Hall Road continue their preseason schedule with the visit of North Ferriby United to Haworth Park on Thursday evening, in what should be an exciting prospect.
New signings are gradually being announced and the team is being prepared for what will be a very interesting season in the NCEL Premier Division.

Full-time -
Hall Road Rangers 2 (Gareth Owen 62, Sam Belcher 70)
Goole AFC 1 (Szymon Czubik 6)