The Ambers kicked off their Pre-Season fixtures on a balmy Friday night at 1st Division promotion contenders Penistone Church. All four new signings started the game which turned out to be quite an entertaining affair.
Unlike last season’s corresponding fixture, The Ambers were relatively comfortable throughout, attacking well down both flanks and keeping the hosts at bay, albeit Penistone did knock the ball around well and are quite pleasant on the eye.
After edging the first half, Handsworth took the lead just before the break when Sam Denton fired home a free kick from 30 yards, a strike similar to a few from last season.
Half time brought about a raft of changes from both teams and after Alex Rippon and Colin Marrison combined to play in Kieran Wells to double the lead from close range on 49 minutes, it was fairly plain sailing until an excellent strike from Joe Long halved the arrears eight minutes from time.
Wells then took centre stage and his excellent mazy run and shot ended up in the back of the net with the aid of a deflection to complete the scoring for the night.
All in all, a good workout for both teams who will hopefully both be vying for honours come the end of the season.