APSA manager Zakir Hussain

A young and inexperienced London APSA squad went down 3-2 to Ilford & District League side DM United FC in the club’s opening pre-season friendly on Thursday at Langdon School.

DM United 3

London APSA 2

A young and inexperienced London APSA squad went down 3-2 to Ilford & District League side DM United FC in the club’s opening pre-season friendly on Thursday at Langdon School.

A team of trialists and reserve-team players took to the field to try and impress first-team manager Zakir Hussain as he plans for their new Essex Senior League season.

It was a slow start for APSA, but they gradually got themselves into the game only for moves to break down in the final third of the field.

But Dexter Stewart found Fraid unmarked and he finished off a well-worked move to give them the lead.

However, APSA conceded twice in the closing stages of the first half to go in trailing at the interval.

In the second period defender Ross Tanner provided the initial pass for the visitors to equalise as he found Stewart, who then laid a through-ball into the path of Saibur Chowdhury.

The latter was brought down in the box and he dusted himself off to coolly convert from the spot.

But APSA conceded almost straight from the restart as DM United walked away with the win.

Their next friendly saw them take on Valence United yesterday (Tuesday).