Page 15 - Shirehampton FC v Patchway Town 290122

LEAGUE REVIEW

Another break-away by the visitors on 38 minutes led to a second goal from Henry Birkett tapping in from
nd
10 yards. Then in the 42 minute Wanderers were 3-0 up from a long diagonal ball that was flicked onto
Jack Hornsby and with a one-on-one situation slipped the ball home. With just a minute left before the break
Little Stoke pulled a goal back when Tovey was brought down in the box and Aaron West netted the spot
kick. Two minutes into the second half Stoke were caught out again when Wanderers Rory Cawkwell broke
down the right cut in and from a tight angle made it 4-1. The home side pulled a second goal back on 70
minutes when the ball was hit low and hard into the goalmouth and Alex Fox was there to tap home from 5
yards.
Bromley Heath United gained a valuable three points with a 2-0 win over today’s opponents Broadwell
Amateurs. The home side got off to a good start and went 1-0 up after seven minutes when Antonio Nurse
was brought down in the box for a penalty, Nathan Rose stepped up and sent the ball into the back of the
Broadwell net. The visitors first real effort on goal came on 25 minutes a rasping shot from Ethan Wilkins
which was well saved by keeper Will Ferguson. On 30 minutes Jack Withey struck the Broadwell crossbar
from a tight angle. The last 5 minutes of the first half belonged to the visitors but they found the home
defence solid. They did however get the ball in the back of the Bromley net, but it was ruled out for offside.
Broadwell started the second half much better and pushed the home side hard, but Bromley weathered the
storm and gradually got back into the game. In the 85 minute the home side were awarded a free-kick
th
right on the edge of the box after Sam Edwards had been brought down. Luke Bessell took the free kick and
he managed to get it over the wall and into the Broadwell net for a 2-0 win.
Les James League Cup Quarter-final
With the pitch looking fantastic for January after a frosty week, slightly heavy underfoot, Shirehampton
captain Matt McCall kicked off their first ever game at the Nest. The game started competitively with both
sides looking to take advantage of the perfect surface. Wick had the first chance of the game after two
minutes when Rob Moore capitalised on a mix up between Gerard Robinson and Adam Thorne, but his shot
was well saved by Shire’s keeper, Matt Turner, pushing it past the near post. From the resulting Ben Harris
corner, Wick did open the scoring on three minutes, when Rob Moore rose the highest to power his header
into the Shirehampton net. Over the next 10 minutes, both defences were put under pressure, but no one
could find the killer pass to alter the score. Shire had their first attempt of the game after 18 minutes,
following their 2nd corner, when Richard Brightwell found Matthew McCall, but his header was cleared by
Wick’s Sam Thomas. With 15 mins to go, Wick were dominating the midfield, and firing crosses from both
flanks, with Joe Thomas going close from the left after cutting in past Shire’s full back Ryan Dunn. Five
minutes later, Sam Thomas collected the ball from Nathan Gore, but his shot was tipped over the bar by
Shire’s Turner. Turner was again brought into action, on 40 minutes, when he saved low to his right following
a Ben Harris shot from just inside the box. With three minutes to go, Shire had sight of goal, when a
Brightwell corner was spilt by Wick’s debutant keeper, Jamie Powell, but Shire’s Joseph Harvey was unable
to stab the ball into the Wick net while being challenged by Wick’s centre half, James Pocock. Harvey had
another half chance with one minute to go, but this time Powell saved well low to his left. Shire had very
little answers to Wick’s constant possession and grit in the tackle, with Turner making a number of fine saves
to keep the score 1-0 at HT.
Wick started the second half in the same fashion as the first, and again after two minutes James Pocock
header from a Ben a Harris corner flicked past the Shire upright. For the next 10 minutes, both teams were
matching each other across the park, with keepers untested. On 58 minutes, Wick went close again, Ben
Harris was the provider, from a right sided corner, with Pocock’s header hitting the crossbar after Shire’s
Robinson felled to clear from the six-yard area. Shire’s first opportunity of the half came on 64 minutes when
Ryan Nunn’s cross shot straight across Wick’s six-yard area with no-one able to get on the end.
On 70 minutes, after a strong challenge on Wick’s Ben Harris, tempers flared, and Wick’s Nathan Gore was
shown a straight red. Gore was struck in the face by Shire’s manager and he was given a red card. Wick’s
Powell was brought into action again after 73 minutes, when he saved well at the feet of Shire’s Joseph
Harvey. Wick continued to soak up pressure in the closing 10 minutes, but Shire were unable to use the extra
man for their advantage. Harvey continued to run his heart out, but Wick’s defence held firm. The last
attempt of the game fell to Shire’s Richard Brightwell, but his cross was well defended by Wick’s Russ
Woodford. The game ended 1-0 to Wick, with both teams running themselves into the ground.