British Army U23s lose final Inter Services warm-up match to talented Academy team

The British Army under-23s football team were well beaten in a 5-2 loss to Bracknell Town Academy at the SB Stadium.

The match served as final preparation for Keith Emmerson's team ahead of Tuesday's Inter Services opener against the Royal Navy which you can watch live – find out more here.

Despite the defeat, a strong performance from Jack Lowe and Jordan Crone, who scored an excellent long-range strike will have given the Army some positives.

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It was Lowe who nearly gave the Army the lead as he muscled the ball away from a Bracknell defender and whipped his shot at goal from 25 yards but Bracknell goalkeeper Nkenge Durham made a smart save.

Bracknell took control from there as Brighton Morrison took advantage of a defensive mix-up to chip Army goalkeeper Leighton Roberts for a 1-0 lead.

Their second came from more indecisive defending as the Army failed to clear their lines leaving Zach Cox the simple task of placing the ball into the bottom corner.

The Army were much more impactful when on the front foot and that was shown as Lowe was barged off the ball by Morrison and the Army striker stepped up to stick away the penalty and halve the deficit.

The two-goal lead was soon restored though as Arman Tariq fired in Bracknell's third with a powerful finish.

Josh Hoggarth had a chance for the military side from a corner but headed wide and the second half saw the Army start brightly. Crone took the plaudits with a stunning goal and, once again, the Army had reduced the lead to just one goal.

From there, the Academy side pulled away as Luka Smirnoff grabbed a brace including one well-taken penalty after Josh Oak was penalised for a foul.

The Army will look to bounce back from the loss in Tuesday's live coverage of the Inter Services opener – find out more here.