On one of the hottest days I have ever attended a football match, Warminster travelled to Wick Football Club. Wick are in the Gloucestershire County League, and when the season was aborted in March were in second place, 4 points behind the leaders with two games in hand. 

This was the first preseason game and as instructed by the Football Association, these games are played behind closed doors due to Covid-19. Clubs are waiting for more details about precautions for the start of the football season. 

The first 15 minutes were fairly even, but the home side began to assert themselves and kept first-half keeper Nathan Ball very busy. Ball had to pull off some good saves, however in the final minutes of the first half Wick opened the scoring. 

With the intense heat, both sides made changes and new keeper Calum Hotine took up position between the sticks at the start of the second-half. If the first-half performance was to be an indicator, he was in for a busy time, and so it proved to be. 

Wick continued from where they left off and were dominant all over the pitch, creating chances and putting the visitors constantly under pressure. It was no surprise when the goal tally was doubled. 

That second goal seemed to spark Warminster into life and in the final 15 minutes started to see more of the ball and create opportunities to score. With some dogged determination down the left Francois Allen crossed the ball to Dalitso Mandson, in space in the penalty area. Mandson made sure with a low drive into the back of the net. 

A few more chances came and went and so the home side finished with a well-deserved 2 – 1 victory. 

Team: Ball, Sissons, Pawley G, McFerran H, De-Silva, Churchyard, Miluk, Mortimer-Taylor, Allen, Pawley T, Butler. 

Subs: Hotine, Lisowski, Seviour, Johnson, McFerran O, Mandson, Bartlet, Morse.