Lancaster City pile on goals ahead of final friendly
Lancaster City play their final pre-season friendly this Saturday before the Northern Premier League campaign kicks-off at Ashton United seven days later.
There's a change of opponent at the Giant Axe this weekend as Heaton Stanningley step in for the 3pm kick-off after Blackpool Under-21s couldn't fulfil the fixture.
The Tyneside club finished seventh in NPL East last season and will look to test a Dolly Blues side who have lost only one of their seven pre-season games.
They have scored 13 goals in the last two, having followed a 7-2 victory at Fulwood Amateurs on Saturday with a 6-1 home win over Fleetwood Town Under-21s on Tuesday night.
Nic Evangelinos led the charge with a hat-trick against NW Counties first division north side Fulwood.
A tighter game looked in prospect at half-time after two goals by Evangelinos (15 and 26 minutes) gave the visitors a 2-1 interval lead.
The Preston side made life difficult, though, as they pulled one back through Spencer Lucas and it took a fine save by Cameron Graham to deny Owen Watkinson.
Lancaster lost Callum Leigh to injury in the second half and Graham was called into action again before three goals in seven minutes enabled City to breathe easily.
Evangelinos tapped home James Bailey's cross for his third on the hour, then Dylan Moonan headed in James Nolan's corner two minutes later before Nathan Caine smashed in his first.
Evangelinos was denied a fourth by the crossbar but Nolan netted number six in the 81st before Caine ran clear for his second four minutes later. Fulwood scored again but Lancaster had returned to winning ways in style.
They were as ruthless against the young Fleetwood side, who took the lead after 13 minutes through David Animasaun. However, the hosts were 3-1 up by half-time, the same trialist scoring twice.
He equalised from a Nolan free-kick on 26 minutes and added his second on the stroke of half-time. In between, Jim Craig had shot under the keeper to put the Dolly Blues ahead on 35 minutes.
Lancaster put the game to bed with two goals in the first five minutes of the second half from Steve Yawson and Craig’s second. And Yawson became the third player to bag a brace with the final goal on 71 minutes.