Shaftesbury pre-season 2026

Pre Season Friendly  

Friday 10th July 2026

Shaftesbury 2 (Morgan 24, Baker 90+4)

Sturminster Newton United 1 (Gurang 90+3)

Report by Avril Lancaster (Shaftesbury FC)

Newly promoted to the Wessex League Premier Division Sturminster Newton United arrived at Cockrams following an opening friendly at fellow Pitching In Southern League Division 1 (South) side Westbury United. Despite a 2-1 defeat there the ‘Cherries ‘ have now put in two decent showings against Step 4 opposition. 

‘Rockies ‘ manager Josh Staunton fielded two different sides in each half with Sturminster Newton United also without key players it made for a fairly even contest. The aim for Staunton and assistant Steve Rutter and opposition manager Nick Squires to focus on gametime and the mandatory minutes in legs. Football is of course a game of clichés and this was a classic pre season friendly in that respect.  

With a healthy crowd in with a good number from down the hill in attendance this was a match that saw former ‘Rockies ‘ favourite Aaron Lane Laney making in roads on our defence with another former Shaftesbury and Paulton Rovers player Nick Hewlett in the visitors midfield. 

Harry Morgan took the first real clear cut opportunity to open the scoring drilling a shot past Theo Crane into the bottom corner with 24 minutes on the clock. There were few opportunities as both sides passed the ball around and Pietro Almedia pressed with Jack Hoey looking every bit the player key to breaking up play using his experience. 

It wasn’t really until injury time in the second half that anything really of note happened bar Crane preventing Harry Baker from point blank range as both sides made changes with a whole second half team changed Staunton had a good opportunity to assess every option and the ‘Cherries ‘ using the pre season early start to analyse every area as they prepare for Step 5. 

Sturminster Newton United were moving the ball around well and substitute Denzel Gurang finished off a good move to level. At that point they deserved the draw, until Moss Jackson-Collis broke clear and laid the ball off to Baker to guide the ball into the net for the winner with virtually the last kick off the game. 

Results are not really too relevant at this time of the season and the visitors have matched two Southern League sides. The real result was that both teams got some more fuel in the tank as they say as we move further into the pre season schdule. 

Shaftesbury– Players used – Trialist, Rayfield, Trialist, Watts, Trialist, Mundy, Hoey, Morgan, Almedia Regula, Hewlett 

-Roberts Disson, Pike, Bethell, Ward, Trialist. Murray, Trialist, Santos DAbadia, Sweeten. Baker, Jackson-Collis 

Sturminster Newton United– the report, Cowley, Lovell, Hewlett, Adair Charlton, Guppy, O’Shea, G.C Coleman, Lane-Leney, Trialist, Budden, Gurang, Trialist, Trialist 

Attendance 246

Thanks to Avril for the report