Chorley 1-1 Brackley Town - Vanarama National League North - 5th August 2023

On an opening day of horribly inclement weather Saints earned a first point on the road in a well-contested game at Victory Park, Chorley. The Magpies created shooting chances with alarming ease in a first half in which the home side enjoyed the better of possession and chances but wayward finishing failed to punish Gavin Cowan’s side.

Against the run of play it was the Saints who took a lead into the break however. After battling play by Dan Turner the ball fell for Alfie Bates who made no mistake with 41 minutes of the new season on the clock.

Chorley were level on the hour as Mark Ellis headed in from a free-kick before Mike Calveley’s header was just over minutes later.

But Brackley had the better of the second half, tighter in defence and showing the travelling supporters glimpses of the potential in this team as sweeping moves carved out chances bringing Matt Urwin into action. Chorley’s captain saved well from George Carline’s header, kept out Bates’ accurate free-kick and Danny Newton’s shot was beaten away in the closest that Brackley came to clinching an opening day win.

In the final minutes, substitute Morgan Roberts received a straight red card for an aerial challenge.

“We came to win the game but when you take the emotion out of it this is a well-earned draw,” Cowan said. “It took us a little bit of time to get going but we gathered momentum and started doing the things we had spoken about. We are still learning about ourselves as a new group of players and we’ve got a draw at a really tough place. In that second half, we had some good passages of play and we began to see the identity of this team.“

Brackley Town: Lewis, Carline, Calder, Murombedzi, Gudger, Dean, Bates (Matwasa 81), Newton, McHale (Armson 91), Turner (Roberts 69), O’Sullivan. Subs unused: Crawford, Lyttle.

Chorley: Urwin, Henley, Ellis, Wilson (Smith 94), Blakeman, Calveley, Sampson, Nolan (Ubaezuonu 94), Hazlehurst, Johnson, Whitehouse (Shenton 67). Subs unused: Moore, Tomlinson.

Referee: Elliot Bell. Assistants: William Vaughan and Ben Schofield

Attendance: 1054