Fleetwood Town shared the spoils in their pre-season friendly against Sky Bet Championship side Stoke City as they drew 1-1 on Saturday afternoon.
In the game at the bet365 Stadium, it was a game of few chances with the hosts breaking the deadlock late in the first half through Tyrese Campbell.
Town were able to pull it back to level terms midway through the second half through good wing play from Danny Andrew, who found Dan Batty in the middle who fired home from 12-yards.
It was a slow start to the game in Staffordshire with both sides looking to keep hold of possession in the middle of the park in the opening stages.
13 minutes in, Town managed to create the first real chance as Paddy Lane played a brilliant through ball to Shayden Morris who fired a driven shot towards the near post and forced a diving save from Joe Bursik.
The hosts then started to find their feet in the clash as they had two headed chances soon after. The first coming from Campbell and the second from Ben Wilmot, with both efforts going over Jay Lynch’s crossbar.
Just before the half-time break, the home side took the lead as Campbell latched onto a lofted ball from Wilmot and clotted the ball into the bottom right from 12-yards.
Stoke had the first effort of the second period, in the 50th minute, as Campbell held off a challenge from Wiredu in the Fleetwood box before laying the ball off to Josh Laurent 20-yards out, who fired wide of the far post.
It was Fleetwood who dominated the ball in the middle of the park though and that came to fruition as a chance formed down the left-hand side through Andrew, who played a low cross to Batty, with the midfielder calmly converting from 12-yards to level the score up.
Play kept breaking up after this as both sides looked to get minutes in the legs of those on the benches, as well as a water break for both players and the pitch around the 70-minute mark.
It was an end-to-end finish to the game as Jacob Brown had a chance for the hosts, with his shot for the hosts going over Lynch’s bar, just before substitute Ged Garner had a gilt-edged chance to put Town in the lead, but Bursik did well to save the shot.
The final chance of the game fell to substitute Emre Tezgel for the hosts as he let loose an ambitious effort from 20-yards, which Lynch saved comfortably to his left.
Stoke XI: Bursik (GK), Jagielka (Flint 74’), Clucas (Kilkenny 74’), Baker (C), Brown (Thompson 83’), Campbell, Tymon, Wilmot, Laurent (Tezgel 83’), Taylor, Sparrow.
Unused subs: Fielding (GK), Fox, McCarron, Forrester, Wright-Phillips.
Town XI: Lynch (GK), Rooney (Johnston 24’), Nsiala, Holgate (Earl 67’), Andrew, Batty, Vela (C), Wiredu, Lane, Harrison (G.Garner 67’), Morris (Hayes 67’).
Unused subs: Cairns (GK), McMillan, Baggley, Conn-Clarke, Boyle.