Miles Rutherford, Dabba & Co were without Mo Jammeh, Jimmy Wild, Ryan Davidson and Jack Farrier but started Chi stalwarts Kieran Magee at No1, skipper Rob Hutchings and Emmett Dunn at left and right back alongside Ben Pashley and Jamie Horncastle in the heart of the defence. Joe Moore began as holding midfielder behind Joe Clarke, Isaac Bello, Lloyd Rowlatt and Ethan Prichard with Billy Vigar leading the line up top.
Dunn whipped over an inviting cross in the opening 60 seconds and at the other end Pashley cleared a decent delivery from Bradley Tarbuck the Gosport No7.
Then Clarke had to steer the ball out for an away side throw-in on three minutes before Hutchings ghosted past an opponent and the visitors’ keeper gathered the final cross.
Next, Magee made a bit of a hash of a clearance and Rowlatt, looking sharp, fizzed one narrowly wide of the mark.
The Chichester skipper held off No17 as the Boro’ threatened and Magee claimed his subsequent set-piece without any trouble.
A neat turn by Pashley allowed him to do Tarbuck at the mid-point of the half and Bello toe-poked a Hutchings’ pass just wide.
The Lillywhites’ midfielder was denied by Gosport’s custodian on 23 who got to the ball ahead of him before Hutchings and Prichard combined only for the final pass not to find Bello.
Moore was then taken out by Adam Tomasso – no free-kick according to the ref and Clarke tackled brilliantly to break up an attack from the Hampshire side.
On the half hour Rowlatt nearly rounded Hall but won the first corner of the match which Hutchings delivered too long.
Chi won another one however which Dunn might have headed home on 32.
Magee had to race off his line and concede a throw a minute or so later and Pashley outdid Caborn.
Next, Rowlatt almost got to a header only for Hall to intercept and a Hutchings’ cross got cleared to Clarke whose effort was deflected for a corner as the hosts ramped things up in the last five minutes of the half.
Magee was called into action to save a shot before Bello cut back to the mercurial Rowlatt who fired an attempt off target.
Pashley turned a cross out for a corner just before the interval and Moore was unfairly challenged once again and the Boro’ player got a talking to this time.
Hutchings and Bello were replaced at the break by a trialist and Rustell and the pair linked up two minutes into the second period only for the eventual effort to go inches wide.
Vigar then failed to get a shot off in the following move and Prichard, who scored the winner at home to Christchurch last time out, lifted one over the bar.
Horncastle was well-up with a header when he duelled with Tarbuck and on 55 Clarke played a poor forward pass.
Then the away team’s Rafael Ramos dragged an effort wide just before the hour and Olly Munt replaced Prichard as Chi made a third change.
Munt exchanged passes neatly with the trialist who’d come on at half-time and Dunn should have hit the resulting cross first time.
Another slick move involving Munt, Clarke, Pashley and Dunn ended up in a lovely cross that also couldn’t be converted before the visitors had claims for a penalty turned down by the referee in the 64th minute.
And then the deadlock was broken in the following Chi attack when Rowlatt found Dunn with a delicious pass and Rustell tucked away the consequent delivery.
Rowlatt, Dunn, Moore and Clarke were all subbed for three trialists and Bertie McDonald with 15 to go
Boro’ had a shot blocked and Magee had to claim a corner as the away side pressed for the equaliser.
Ramos lifted one over the crossbar before Flori Vicaj and a trialist were introduced for Horncastle and Vigar on 82.
There was still time for Magee to deny the visitors as the clock ticked down and one of the City trialists might have made a connection when a measured cross came over.
Chi welcome Bognor to Oaklands Park in their last pre-season friendly on Friday 1st August (Kick Off 7:45pm).
Chichester – Magee, Dunn, Hutchings, Moore, Horncastle, Pashley, Clarke, Bello, Rowlatt, Prichard, Vigar,
