A comprehensive win and a good exercise in finishing on a warm summer evening in Austria
Fleetwood Town continued their pre-season preparations by taking on SV Bad Ischl at the OKO-Box Stadium.
Graham Alexander was able to select the majority of his squad by naming 10 substitutes on the bench. Only David Ball (ankle) and Scott Davies (rested) sat out the game.
The opposition are from the regionalised 4th tier of the Austrian football pyramid and take their name from the largest town in Salzkammerget region. The part-timers finished their season in June and finished in 8th position in their league.
The match was Town’s second pre-season game following last Thursday’s outing against Northwich Victoria were Ball picked up his injury.
The starting line-up included Jamille Matt who only needed 5 minutes to tower above everyone to neatly nod home from a Shaun Beeley cross. The home side nearly grabbed an equaliser Mark Roberts clears off the line.
Matt looked to have doubled the lead on the quarter hour mark but the offside flag denied him a rebound from Jamie Allen’s shot. That second goal did come just 5 minutes later when Matty Blair finished at close range after an Allen shot was only half blocked.
Keeper Chris Maxwell was forced to clear before Town were denied themselves off the line just after the half hour mark.
Gareth Evans thrashed home from outside the box with 6 minutes of the half remaining. Steven Schumacher ‘s 20 yard drive rattled off the post before Bad Ischl wrapped up the half with their best effort going narrowly over the bar.
David Lucas, Nathan Pond, Junior Brown, Jon Parkin and Ryan Crowther all entered the stage after the break with Matt, Maxwell, Alan Goodall, Jamie Allen and Gareth Evans making way.
Matty Blair finished with a neat effort after his well-timed run met Brown’s cross from the right. Bad Ischl weren’t beat as they then sent a speculative shot wide.
The game was effectively over as a competition when substitute Parkin side footed home after mix up in defence. Fellow sub Steven Schumacher took the credit after neat build-up play.
Further replacements were made around the hour mark when Jeff Hughes, a trialist, Conor McLaughlin, Stewart Murdoch , Liam Hogan, replace Dean Howell, Antoni Sarcevic, Shaun Beeley Mark Roberts and Steven Schumacher.
Parkin and Hughes missed further chances and David Lucas was forced to tip an increasingly rare Bad Ischl shot on to the bar and out for a corner. Junior Brown restored Town’s dominance with a close range volley after a precise left sided cross from Ryan Crowther following Parkin’s build up play.
Brown increased his tally with a long range shot into the bottom corner as the home side clearly tired in the final stages.
Parkin slammed home on 89 minutes to hand Town a comprehensive win and a good exercise in finishing on a warm summer evening in Austria.
Town line up (first half) Maxwell, Beeley, Howell, Goodall, Roberts, Evans, Schumacher, Blair, Sarcevic, Matt, Allen
Subs: Lucas, Brown, Murdoch, Crowther, Pond, Parkin, Hogan, Trialist, Hughes, McLaughlin