A persuasively positive first-half performance, packed with fluent, incisive passing moves, ensured yet another victory in the 8th and last pre-season friendly. As ever, Neil Baker's Leek Town will surely be a promotion candidate and proved resilient to the end, with 'the Bucks' requiring a superbly struck, 28-yard, grass-hugging James Hurst thunderbolt in the 85th minute to seal the success after substitute Ollie Putnam had halved Buxton's lead just past the hour.
Several front-line players were absent but, attacking the Ashwood End, the home side made a threatening start with a Ben Milnes shot drawing a fine save from 'keeper Danny Roberts. Leek also posed a threat, through ex-Nantwich left-winger, Will Saxon, but it was 'the Bucks' taking a 25th-minute lead. A corner-kick was only half-cleared to Milnes who first had a shot blocked at the line and then netted via a deflection. Twelve minutes later the advantage was doubled by a fast-moving attack, involving the vastly-experienced trialist and the pacy Warren Clarke on the right and finished by an Ash Chambers tap-in.
Buxton made just 1 positional change initially for the 2nd half with Milnes succeeding Chris Dawson as an emergency right-back. Chances were made at both ends and Leek went close to an equaliser before Hurst wound up proceedings in fine style.
Pre-season friendlies have been staged for the past 6 decades, taking over from the previous internal trials (e.g. Probables v. Possibles), but for Buxton there has been nothing like the one just completed with its unique 100 % record! Victories pre-season, of course, count for nothing but they can establish a winning mentality ahead of the league programme and how important that can be with maybe 40 % of the NPL fixtures played by the end of October!
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