Lobsters draw against the Met. Report by James Eagles

Redhill 3-3 Met.Police - by James Eagles
Redhill held the Metropolitan Police to an exciting draw in this pre-season friendly as fans were treated to a display of fine finishing and excitement from both sides on a pleasant evening at Kiln Brow, with the Lobsters taking the lead 3 times on the night, but only to be pegged back by their Ryman Premier opponents.
Gavin Gordon, Tyrone Pink and new signing Sam Butler all got themselves on the score sheet, showing little signs of Redhill suffering from ‘second season syndrome’ in time for the season opener at home against East Grinstead in little over a week.
And it took as little as 8 minutes for the game to get underway as Gavin Gordon broke free of the Met’s midfield line and his effort took a wicked deflection looping over the unfortunate keeper’s head and nestling into the back of the Met. Police’s net for a fortunate, but on the early balance of play, a deserved 1-0 lead. However, just 4 minutes later, a goalkeeping error from Adam Faith allowed Bradley Hudson-Odoi the freedom of an empty net from 16 yards out, which he duly accepted to even up the scores once again.
Tyrone Pink quickly restored Redhill’s lead in the 17th minute with a wonderful chest control and calm finish past Granger in the net to give The Lobsters the advantage for the second time on the night. The lead was wiped out once again with just over 5 minutes to go until the break with a fine curling shot from the Met. Police which just touched the bar on the way in, another fine goal in this encounter.
After the break, both teams had their chances to score, but it was a moment of brilliance from Sam Butler which presented us with the 5th goal of the game, quarter of the way into the second period as he picked the ball up in space and unleashed a fizzing drive which cannoned of the underside of the upright before bounced back up into the top right hand corner, a strike which attracted applause from the fans and players alike. However, just a minute later, Butler’s strike was cancelled out by the Ryman Premier side, which signaled the end of the scoring. In the closing minutes both teams didn't pose much of a threat of getting a winner, however on the whole balance of the play, Redhill looked the most likely to take the win, but it wasn't to be.
Both teams can look back on the fixture as a closely fought contest, the fans an exciting contest and all in all, a perfect way to gear up for a new season, after the task of one more friendly against new Sussex County League team - after being relegated last year, Eastbourne Town.