Two Dynamos Play Out An Entertaining Draw

The match was very much a tale of two halves. Shepshed were the better team in the first half and went in at half time with a deserved lead, Steve Chaplin heading home a right wing corner in the thirty-fourth minute, Loughborough being guilty of slack marking.

Loughborough made five changes at half time and this showed as they were the better team in the second half. In the seventy-third minute Tom Byrne cut in from the left wing and beat Shepshed goalkeeper Ryan Thacker at his near post with a right foot shot, giving Loughborough their equaliser.

Loughborough had chances in to win the match in the last fifteen minutes, but it was Shepshed who came closest to winning in stoppage time when Lee Sutton brought a good save out of Loughborough goalkeeper Laurie Pearson direct from a free kick. This was the last action of the game, a draw being a fair result.

After the match Loughborough manager Tom Brookbanks said "I was disappointed with our first half display, we were poor, we didn't match Shepshed's work rate and they wanted it more. After the changes at half time we improved and could have gone on to win, but overall a draw was a fair result".

Loughborough continue their pre-season build up on Saturday August 3rd with the visit of Football League Division 2 side Burton Albion. The visitors reached the Division 2 playoffs last season. The Football League kick off this Saturday and Burton are in league action, but the club is expected to send a strong squad of first team, reserve and academy players, and will provide a stern test for Loughborough.