Last weekend, the Rebels dispatched of a West Ham XI with ease courtesy of a second half hat-trick from Brad Dolaghan. Just hours after resigning for the Club following his departure from the Hammers, the 20-year-old came back to haunt the Premier League outfit with three clinical finishes.
Proceedings were finely poised at the interval, as Bailey Smith’s brave finish cancelled out Ryan Battrum’s well-struck opener. However, the planned introduction of Dolaghan at the break from Chris Agutter proved decisive.
After being fouled in the penalty area by former teammate Josh Briggs, Brad sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to give the Rebels the lead. A composed finish in the 85th minute consolidated the margin, before the promising forward acrobatically sealed his hat-trick in the dying embers of the contest.
It was a strong reaction from the hosts after their 3-0 defeat in the encounter against another top-flight academy side, the behind-closed-doors friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Seagulls’ training centre two weeks ago.
Tomorrow’s match against Chatham is our penultimate pre-season friendly of the summer at the Sussex Transport Community Stadium. We welcome fifth tier side Braintree Town in a fortnight’s time, which will be the last chance for the management team to experiment ahead of the National League South opener at home against Bath City on the 9th August.
Three successive away friendlies are on the horizon, starting with a trip to Havant & Waterlooville on Tuesday night. The test at Westleigh Park precedes the away clash against Lewes on the weekend before Chris Agutter visits his former side Hastings United on Wednesday 30th July.
Opposition
The Chats will undoubtedly pose a different sort of challenge compared to our previous two opponents, due to the fact they are the first senior opposition of this summer’s pre-season schedule.
Hailing from Kent, are preparing for their third successive season in the Isthmian Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. Kevin Hake and his players will be looking to build upon their ninth place finish last campaign, as they missed out on the play-off positions by 13 points.
Chatham were desperately close to promotion into the National League South in the 2023/24 campaign, as they lost in the play-off final to Enfield Town after finishing the season as runners-up to title winners Hornchurch.
The statistics suggest our attackers will have their work cut out this afternoon, with only five teams in their league conceding less than Chatham’s 53 goals during 2024/25.
Thus far, tomorrow’s foes have made seven new acquisitions this summer . After spending a brief period on loan last season, young goalkeeper Henry Molyneux has signed on a permanent deal. Elsewhere, former Gillingham defender Alex Giles and ex-Aveley midfielder Adam Leathers have also made the switch to the Sports Ground.
Tickets
Tickets are available to purchase via our online ticket provider, Fanbase. Tickets will be available to buy on the gate via cash or card payment, however supporters are advised to purchase tickets online.
The game will not be segregated.
- Adult – £9.00
- Concession & U18s – £5.00
- Under 6 – FREE
How to Follow
If you can’t be at the game tomorrow, you can follow the game via live updates from the Club’s official Twitter account.
Alternatively, live commentary will be provided on the Club’s official Mixlr account.
