Reserves start season with a Win

Sweltering heat greeted Hucknall Town Reserves for their first game of the 2022/23 NSL Division One season at Watnall Road.
A busy preseason had seen many changes to the Management and Playing staff, but familiar faces such as Ricky Clayton, Corey Scothern, Montell Gatland, Lewis Ridley-Phoenix, Brad Palmer and Jay Davies along with coach Darren Jubb were all in attendance.

Hucknall got off to a good start and linked the ball nicely from back to front with some patient football.
But they had to wait until midway through the half before they made the breakthrough. Good work on the right-hand side saw the ball ricochet around the Beeston penalty area before being blocked on the line by the hand of one of their defenders who received a straight red-card. David Briggs took the resultant penalty and made no mistake, smashing the ball hard and low into the corner of the net.
Old Boys had to reshape, but credit to them for getting a foothold in the game in testing circumstances and would count themselves unlucky not to equalise. Joe Heverin replaced Fraser Hallam just before Town extended their lead towards the end of the half with a moment of quality from striker Trevelle Lindo, when he drove the ball home from a tight angle.
The opposition got a goal back on the stroke of half-time when a cross from their left side evaded all Towns defenders and it was tucked home at the far post.
Half time: Hucknall Town Reserves 2-1 Beeston Old Boys

Both teams continued to play some decent football considering the conditions and you wouldn't have thought that Old Boys only had 10 men.
Town introduced their final three substitutes around the 65min mark with Callum Orange, Brad Palmer and Jay Davies all entering the game.
All three made a great impact. Orange could easily have had a couple of goals within 10mins of his arrival. Brad Palmer, playing on the left side, smashed a couple of terrific efforts just wide from long distance and Davies was unlucky not to be picked out by his teammates with the goal at his mercy.
Whilst the score remained at 2-1, Old Boys felt they could still get something out of the game. The nearest they came to equalising was from a long free kick into the box that missed everyone and bounced up onto the top of the crossbar.
However, in the final minutes of the game Orange got the goal his hard work deserved when he picked up a pass from Ridley-Phoenix to smash home to put the game to bed.
Full time: Hucknall Town Reserves 3-1 Beeston Old Boys