Samuel Cody played host to an utterly chaotic, enthralling and fiercely entertaining encounter between last season's Division Two champions, Rushmoor Community, and Division Five champions, Ropley Casuals.

Both sides were taking part in only their second pre-season fixture of the summer, and at times the heavy legs and rustiness of pre-season football were evident. What followed, however, was anything but predictable.

Ropley made a much brighter start than they had against Alton, producing some slick, incisive football and threading passes into wide areas for Dave Dempster, who was seemingly making his final appearance for the club.

The visitors' impressive opening spell was undone by a swift ball over the top from Rushmoor. Their forward found himself one-on-one with Matt Tongue in the Ropley goal, leaving the keeper with little chance.

New signing Robbie Howell was unfortunately forced off early after aggravating a slight groin strain picked up during the warm-up. He was replaced by Sam Lucas, who made his debut at right-back, while Chris Burton shifted into central defence.

Another new recruit, Jake Long, started in midfield alongside Craig Davis and Alan Mitchell. Long enjoyed an excellent debut and helped Ropley regain their composure. A flowing move through the middle released Dempster down the flank. The pacey winger left the full-back trailing in his wake before driving to the by-line and pulling the ball back perfectly for his old friend, Andrew "Chiller" Radcliffe.

Ropley began to maximise their greatest strength, consistently feeding Dempster in wide areas and allowing him to attack the Rushmoor defence. It wasn't long before it paid dividends again.

This time, Dempster did it all himself, cutting inside and finishing emphatically.

The visitors were now in full flow. Dempster struck again shortly afterwards, rifling an effort in from a tight angle via the post to give Ropley what appeared to be a commanding advantage under the Farnborough sunshine.

To their credit, Rushmoor refused to fold and quickly clawed a goal back.

The first half was developing into a captivating spectacle and the goalscoring certainly wasn't finished there.

James Palmer came agonisingly close to extending the lead when he slid in at the back post, only to see his effort drift narrowly wide. Fortunately for Ropley, their fourth goal wasn't far away.

Dempster once again found space inside the box and calmly tucked away his chance to complete a superb farewell hat-trick, leaving many Ropley supporters wondering what might have been had he remained at the club.

Ropley handed another debut to Danny Gibbons, who replaced Palmer on the wing. The newcomer made an instant impact, getting on the end of a dangerous cross but putting the ball narrowly over the bar.
As the half appeared to be winding down, Gibbons announced himself in style, producing a composed finish to put daylight between the sides.

Yet even then, the drama was not over.
Rushmoor demonstrated impressive quality in midfield and fashioned two excellent openings. After striking the crossbar, they finally found a route through, scoring their third goal of the afternoon before the break.
An incredible eight-goal first half had produced pure entertainment and hinted at even more drama to come.

Both teams returned to the field after a remarkable first 45 minutes that had delivered eight goals and countless talking points. Surely another half quite like that wouldn't happen again this season?

Rushmoor had other ideas.

Within minutes of the restart and following a slight reshuffle in the Ropley defence, with Alex Durani replacing Grant Young, the hosts caught their opponents cold. Before Ropley had fully settled into shape, Rushmoor pounced.

The momentum was now firmly with the home side. Not long later, Rushmoor's central midfielder found space on the edge of the box, turned sharply and squeezed an effort through a crowded area before finding the net.

Ropley reacted by moving Craig Davis into central defence and deploying Alan Mitchell in a deeper midfield role in an attempt to stifle Rushmoor's dangerous third-man runs through the middle.

The adjustment slowed the hosts somewhat, but tired legs were beginning to show across the pitch. Large gaps started appearing between Ropley's attack and defence, forcing them into a more direct style. Long balls towards Radcliffe became the preferred outlet as they looked to gain territory and relieve pressure.

Five minutes passed without a goal, which in the context of this game felt like an eternity.

That brief respite ended when Rushmoor, now in the ascendancy, completed their comeback and levelled proceedings.

Of course, it didn't.

Excellent interplay involving new signings Jake Long and Danny Gibbons, combined with the experience of Radcliffe, led to a penalty for Ropley.

Craig Davis assumed responsibility and coolly dispatched the spot-kick to restore the visitors' advantage.

Any neutral watching from the sidelines would have fancied another goal before full time. They would have been absolutely right.

Rushmoor once again dragged themselves level in this breathless, end-to-end contest.

It felt like an age since Rushmoor had initially taken the lead, but with just nine minutes remaining they completed a stunning turnaround, moving in front for the first time since the opening exchanges.

As the clock ticked towards full time, Danny Gibbons produced a dazzling run before squaring to Radcliffe. With the goal at his mercy, the ball became tangled beneath his feet. After regaining control, Radcliffe opted to shoot rather than square for Gibbons, but his effort drifted wide and Ropley appeared destined to suffer defeat despite scoring six goals.

Step forward, Danny Gibbons.

What a way to introduce yourself on debut.

Having already opened his account for the club, Gibbons produced one final moment of magic. Cutting inside his defender with purpose and composure, he curled a superb finish into the bottom corner to level an astonishing contest at seven goals apiece deep into stoppage time.

Moments later, the referee brought an unforgettable encounter to a close.

A pre-season friendly in name only, this was a breathtaking, goal-laden thriller that neither side deserved to lose.

A remarkable, high-octane encounter featuring 14 goals, countless momentum swings and a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser. Pre-season football rarely gets much better than this.