Karnell and Carnell at the double as determined Crusaders beat spirited North Leigh

Hungerford Town maintained their unbeaten record in pre-season with a hard-fought 4-1 win over North Leigh on Tuesday evening.

The Crusaders were at their fluent best in the first half of Saturday’s 3-0 win over fellow Southern Premier League side Kingstonian, with in-form Michael Fernandes scoring a superb 15 minute hat-trick, while Danny Robinson’s team showed the other side of their game in a determined performance against the Southern League Division 1 side in midweek.

Hungerford were not at their best during much of the first half in picturesque West Oxfordshire, surviving a missed penalty and a long range strike that cannoned off the woodwork as the hosts had the better of the opening half an hour.

However the new look Crusaders have a sense of steeliness that was lacking last term and, having weathered the storm, went in at the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to Karnell Chambers.

Chambers doubled his side's advantage just after the hour and, although the diminutive Dan West finished off a fluid move to halve the deficit five minutes later, the Crusaders were in control of the game.

Luke Carnell, who has added some much-needed aerial prowess at the back, made it 3-1 when Jack Stanley's corner cannoned off his thigh and the towering centre-half wrapped the game up with a well-struck half-volley with almost the last kick of the game.

This might have been a game between two sides that were relegated just months ago – North Leigh finished third bottom in the Southern League Premier Division South, where Hungerford will start next season, which led to the resignation of long-serving manager Chris Allen – but there was plenty to suggest both teams can look forward to much better campaigns this term.

The Millers had a number of young players on show and could have gone into the break ahead but the Crusaders have a renewed sense of grit and determination and look well-suited to the stern physical demands of the Southern League.

This was a chance for Robinson, sending his side out in a 4-2-3-1 formation once again, to have a look at some of the players that have seen less action – for various reasons, including holidays and injuries – in pre-season so far, with young goalkeeper James Walker, full-back Louie Paget, centre-halves Mike Baker and Jack Alexander as well as attacker Slavi Spasov, who had earlier agreed a deal at Bulpit Lane following a successful trial period, all lining up in the XI.

With Hungerford kicking up a pitch with a slope to rival Bulpit Lane, there wasn't much to separate the sides in the first 20 minutes, although Nathan Davis and Joe Shepherd – with the tireless Brad Hopper operating ahead of them – once again looked tenacious in the tackle and composed in possession while Mike Baker added a cool and experienced head in the heart of defence.

The visitors suffered a blow when Spasov, who started as a 10 in the win over Chippenham but lined-up up front in Oxfordshire, pulled up chasing a Michael Fernandes through ball and had to be replaced by Conor McDonagh, who spent three separate spells with the Millers.

The hosts were beginning to shade things and went close after 26 minutes when a decent passing move ended up at the feet of one of three trialists in North Leigh's starting XI, with the attacker curling a left-footed strike from the edge of the box beyond the outstretched arm of Walker and against the left-hand post before Hungerford scrambled to clear.

The Crusaders were having some trouble dealing with balls in behind their full-backs while Lynton Goss – full of willing running and persistence – was making a nuisance of himself, with the frontman winning a penalty when he drew a foul from the retreating Louie Paget just before the half hour.

Goss got to his feet and stepped up to take the spot-kick but, unfortunately for the Millers supporters, his finishing from 12 yards wasn't as good as his hard work in the build-up and blasted the ball well over the bar and into the Oxfordshire woodland beyond.

That seemed to spark the visitors into life and Hungerford had the lead in the 38th minute when in-form Michael Fernandes picked out fellow wideman Karnell Chambers, who has made a positive impression since signing last month, and the former Cheltenham winger slotted the bouncing ball beyond the top-knotted trialist in the North Leigh goal to make it 1-0.

Robinson has tended to avoid making wholesale changes in pre-season and sent most of his starting XI back out after the break, with Luke Carnell replacing Jack Alexander, Ryan Clarke replacing James Walker and Sean Moore coming on for Fernandes for his Hungerford debut.

The visitors were a little fortunate to be ahead at the break but were much-improved after the restart, with the lively Moore making an instant impact as he whipped a cross to the back post where Karnell Chambers headed against the post from close range.

Veteran goalkeeper Ryan Clarke was forced into a save on the hour when Hungerford were caught napping from a throw-in and Greg Hackett fired a low shot which the Oxford United legend kept out at his near post.

Just two minutes later, the Crusaders doubled their lead when Chambers made another of his trademark runs from out wide into the box and was rewarded when the ball fell to his feet and he fired it in to make it 2-0, his final contribution before he was replaced by Fabio Lopes.

However North Leigh, now under the stewardship of former Wantage Town boss James Keller, played with plenty of spirit and heart and halved the deficit in the 67th minute when a fluid move found Dan West, who rounded the onrushing Clarke and rolled the ball into an empty net to make it 2-1.

For all their endeavour, North Leigh never really threatened an equaliser and Hungerford restored their two-goal cushion in fortunate circumstances with a quarter of an hour to go when Jack Stanley's corner from the right missed the head of Conor McDonagh at the near post and flicked off the unsuspecting Luke Carnell and nestled in the back of the Millers' net, with the centre-half rather sheepishly celebrating scoring against his former club.

While Carnell knew next to nothing about his first goal for the club, he scored a spectacular second with almost the last kick of the game, watching the ball over his shoulder and rifling a half-volley into the corner to make it 4-1 at full time.

Hungerford travel to Danny Robinson's former side Thatcham Town – with whom he won the FA Vase in 2018 – on Saturday (1 o'clock kick-off) before a final friendly, a behind-closed-doors clash with Kintbury Rangers, on Tuesday ahead of next weekend's Southern League opener, the visit of Plymouth Parkway.