We travelled to Hampshire for the second game in a row, facing a tough challenge as Fleet Town had beaten league leaders Redhill 2-0 the previous week. There was only one change to the starting line-up from the Tuesday night victory at Alton, with Craig Dundas coming in. We also welcomed Carl Oblitey back to the bench following his recent injury.

The Salts started brightly, and within two minutes, we won a free kick. Adam Green’s delivery was flicked on by Craig Dundas, and Nicolas Boston’s powerful header rattled the upright. The team continued to press, with Ethan Nelson-Roberts causing problems down the wing with some excellent runs. Despite creating several promising openings, we were unable to find the breakthrough. Failing to make the most of our early dominance likely cost us the game.

Just before half-time, Fleet Town had the ball in our net, but the flag was already up for offside. The score remained goalless at the break.

The second half was a different story, with Fleet taking advantage of playing downhill. They broke the deadlock in the 64th minute when Dean Rule unleashed a superb 20-yard strike. Up to that point, the second half had been evenly contested.

We introduced three substitutes—Carl, Ali, and Kailan—in an attempt to get back on level terms. However, Fleet sealed the win in the 86th minute, with Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb adding a second goal.

After a strong first-half performance, it was disappointing to come away empty-handed, particularly given the drop-off in the second half.