Honours Even for Whites in West London in Season Opener

Salisbury FC began their 2025/26 Enterprise National League South campaign with a dominant display, despite it finishing a nil-nil draw away at Hampton & Richmond Borough on Saturday afternoon.

The match marked the first competitive fixture under new ownership, as Ali Alhamad’s era officially got underway.

The Whites, buoyed by a solid pre-season, started brightly. Their attacking intent was evident from the off when Matty Taylor clipped a ball through to the path of Tommy Willard, who Beavers’ goalkeeper James Holden took out, a challenge for which Holden was carded in the first minute.

In the 24^th minute, Mike Atkinson saw his attempt go narrowly wide of the far post. The midfielder benefited from the clever link up play between Josh Keeya and Willard to manoeuvrer the ball to him from a tight cluster in the home sides’ box.

Five minutes later, Whites’ skipper, Josh Sommerton, tested Hampton’s goalkeeper with a deflected effort from just outside the box. The attempt forced a top stop out of Holden, who had to change his angle to keep it from going in. The defender managed to create the room after tricking two opposition defenders with his tidy footwork.

In the 31^st minute, Willard gained possession on the flank just outside the hosts’ penalty area, the forward flip flapped his way past two defenders and into the box. His attempt was blocked and cleared to safety from the London sides’ point of view.

The last notable action of the half came when Taylor belted the ball towards goal 35-yards out, his effort required saving as Holden just about palmed the strike away.

The two sides went into the interval level pegging although it was the team from Wiltshire who had the upper hand.

The second period started in the same fashion as the first had been throughout. Salisbury got into the Beavers’ final third and won a freekick immediately from kick-off.

In the 58^th minute, Taylor Foran got onto the end of Willards’ freekick. The loanee couldn’t keep his effort on target as the ball flew wide of the near post.

Five minutes later, in the 63^rd minute, Sommerton had a shooting opportunity in the Hampton penalty area. An inch perfect diagonal lofted pass was made by Jordan Ngalo who found the skipper, the final product was a firm strike that was just too high as the hosts’ survived another scare.

The best chance of the match so far came in the 71^st minute as substitute Matt Briggs failed to convert Sommerton’s low driven cross, the attempt missing by a tiny margin.

Two minutes later, for the first time, Will Buse was required. The latest Whites’ signing denied Harry Gardner, who found himself one-on-one with Buse—a fantastic piece of goalkeeping to keep the score level.

Five minutes from the end of the original ninety, Atkinson saved the day. The midfielder made a last-ditch challenge to prevent Gardner from getting a shot away in what would have been a ‘high XG’ chance.

As ninety minutes showed on the watch, the fourth official indicated an additional eight minutes.

With less than a minute left on the clock, second-half substitute Ollie Bray had his threatening range strike stopped via a full-stretch Holden in the Beavers’ net.

As the eight minutes ticked past, the referee sounded his whistle to confirm a point a piece for each side.