Less than a week into his Fleet career, Liam Enver-Marum posted his intent for the season with the only goal at Winch’s Field as his new side kicked off their 2011-12 warm-up matches.
Fleet fielded goalkeepers Joe Welch (ex-Histon and Stevenage) and, on the bench, Tom McNeil, together with former Woking attacking wide man Goma Lambu and James Brown. Jacob Erskine also featured in the starting line-up.
The visitors, in the now-traditional ‘Argentina’ pre-season shirts, made most of the early running with Marum, Scott Ginty and Tom Phipp launching shots. And on 17 minutes, Ginty and Marum combined with the the former’s shot deflected into the path of the new signing and he stroked home the opener. Ginty was looking sharp and he twice supplied Erskine as the Fleet front men clicked early on.
But the young striker, who spent most of last season out injured, had his comeback preparations cruelly ripped from him shortly before half-time as he was stretchered off with an ankle injury. It put a downer on the half-time break just after Fleet had twice hit the post, once from a Derek Duncan set-piece and again from an Erskine effort.
Fleet changed goalkeepers for the second half and also introduced Michael West, Ricky Shakes, Calum Willock, Craig Stone and James Brown. Lambu was also later introduced for Marum but as formations and line-ups changed, the game lost its edge. Canterbury found it difficult to hold on to the ball and when they did breach the Fleet midfield, new boy Ian Simpemba looked assured at the back.
Shakes and West flashed at half chances and there was time for youth players Eddie Sharman and Adam Williams to stake a claim for a squad place. Indeed Sharman’s long-range shot was the highlight of a humdrum second half as Fleet coasted to a single-goal victory ahead of the visit of Leyton Orient on Thursday.
TEAM: Welch (McNeil), Howe, Duncan (Stone), Fakinos (Adam Williams), Easton (Brown), Simpemba, Marum (Lambu), Marwa (West), Ginty (Willock), Erskine (Shakes), Phipp (Sharman).
Att: 248
