Page 14 - Ashton & Backwell FC v Wellington 070323

Match Report

Ashton & Backwell UFC 4 v Bridgwater United FC 2
Stags dent Bridgy promotion hopes
A match brimming with excitement, Stags, an in-form team, up against
Bridgwater, title challengers and into the later rounds of the FA Vase, with ex-
Stags Spence and Hartley in their line-up. For the first fifteen minutes both
sides appeared to be sparring with each other, then suddenly the action came
thick and fast: Hebbard beat Ford, shooting narrowly wide, then minutes later
a Stags move put Charlie Saunders through into box, he slipped, the ball ran
for Banks to toe punt in the opener. Then two minutes later a White free kick
from wide left was spilled by Viney and Pearce scored from close range.
Bridgwater became progressively more nervous with further Stags chances
coming, whilst the visitors’ attacking moves were quickly snuffed out by a well-
organised Stags defence with Man of the Match Roberts protecting his goal as
last line of defence. The young keeper was seen to very good effect
throughout, 37 minutes and Tom Llewellyn’s free kick took a deflection but he
was equal to it, 42 minutes and he judged well a King lob, 53 minutes a good
save from Thorne and on 74 a defensive slip let through Tom Llewellyn, but the
shot was tipped over the bar. Meanwhile in the goalscoring department, Pearce
doubled his tally on 38 minutes, heading in a White free kick, whilst minutes
later Banks was unlucky not to make it four by half time.
After the interval, with Bridgwater down to ten men, Jake Llewellyn shown red
for an appalling tackle just on the interval, and three down, it was surprisingly
Stags who were on the back foot, though they had been much the better team
in the first half. This particularly manifested itself in a series of goalmouth
melees, no one clearing and giving Bridgwater two goals, the first after eight
minutes, Tom Llewellyn bundling in and Spence likewise on the 90. Hebbard
also saw one hit the post.

So from a position of strength, the Stags backs were to the wall, not helped by
Bennington-Mannings being sent off for an off the ball incident, making it 10 vs
10 for the last 20 minutes and for some frantic football, Bridgwater throwing
everything at it to try and get something from the game and Stags hanging on
by their fingertips. In the dying seconds all ten remaining visitors were up in
the Stags half for a free kick, the ball cleared upfield where Jaiyoeba’s pace was
used to great effect, eluding Hartley to push in for the 4th, and victory and
much relief in the home camp.

Team:
1 Roberts, Ford, Walker, White (sub Bennington-Mannings 58m), Reece
Hedges, Pearce, Banks (sub Jaiyeoba 68m) Connor Saunders ©, Charlie
Saunders, Lewis Hedges (sub Anthony 80m), Hardidge