MATCH REPORT | Tadley Calleva vs Fareham Town

Tadley Calleva started the Wessex Premier Division campaign off strongly, overturning a one goal deficit at the break, beating Fareham Town three goals to one.

With Danny Dolan away, Brian Drury took charge of the primary game of the season and named a very strong team including five players making their competitive debut for the club. Harry Pearson, Chad Abrams, Elliot Parker, Elliot Amadieu and Simeon Howell all made their first appearances in the league for the Romans.

It was a strong start for Fareham, putting pressure on the home team from the off. This resulted in an early goal in the game with Callum Laycock rising above the Tadley defenders and heading home after a cross came in from the right-hand side.

With Fareham getting off to a strong start, Tadley then hit back. Elliot Amadieu was sent through after an over-the-top through ball by Sam Hamilton, but the centre-forward was crowded out by the away teams centre-half's and goalkeeper forcing the new signing into a poor strike at goal. Danny Vickers then had an effort from an Aaron Parfitt corner cannon off the bar, just five minutes later, the score unfortunately remaining at 0-1.

The away team were having joy in the wide areas however. A dangerous free kick was swung in from the left-hand side but Shaun Dallimore rose above the rest to clear the danger. Then another cross from Fareham ended with a header from the goal scorer Callum Laycock, but the strikers effort didn't cause Freddie Gee any major problems.

Danny Vickers then had two efforts on goal. The first saw him drive into the 18-yard-box, with his shot a comfortable one for the keeper to save. The next was from outside the area, forcing the Fareham stopper into a decent save to his left-hand side.

After the break, Tadley started to completely dominate the game. Three minutes in a Dallimore header crashed off the bar from a Parfitt corner, and that was just the start. Paul Coventry and Simeon Howell then had shots from around twenty yards out, but the game really changed when Brett Denham entered after fifty eight minutes.

A strong bit of pressing from Denham and Hamilton saw the wide man winning the ball back. It then deflected to the centre-forward who carried the ball forward and took it into the 18-yard-box, crossing it for Sam who passed it into the net to level the tie.

The substitute then netted his first of the season. An excellent corner from Parfitt was nodded back into the 6-yard-box and after an aerial scramble Brett headed the ball into the back of the net, giving Tadley a goal lead that they fully deserved.

It was then time again for Fareham to apply pressure as they looked to get back into the game and pull back a goal. Another cross into the box saw Austin fire a shot over the bar. Then the visitors had the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was ruled offside by the Assistant Referee.

Another good bit of defensive work from Hamilton saw him gain an opportunity on the edge of the Fareham area after the keeper sliced his clearance, but the shot just missed the net. But that didn't matter. Another superb corner from Parfitt landed straight on the head of Dallimore, finding it's way to Howell who forced the ball into the net on his competitive debut, ensuring a Tadley win on the first day of the new campaign.

Starting XI:

Gee, Pearson, Parker, Dallimore, Abrams, Hamilton, Howell, Vickers, Parfitt, Coventry, Amadieu

Subs:

Denham (on for Coventry), Nurse, Alliston (On for Amadieu), George, Charsley (on for Abrams)

Attendance:

104