Match Reports
29th August 2007 - Hardwicke kick off season with a win
Hardwicke snatched a win from this match with a cracking right foot drive from full-back Shayne Anson with just 2 minutes left on the clock.
In the first half Axa had the better of the early exchanges with Evans in the Hardwicke goal called upon to make the first save of the game after 15 minutes. Rimmer then tested Rice in the Axa goal the keeper pulling of a great save. Rice was kept busy making saves from Hardwicke’s Justin Powell and Rob Hine before a great through ball from Ben Wood was neatly tucked away by Richard James after 34 minutes.
Axa started well in the second half and drew level when Booth’s corner from the right was neatly flicked home by O’Sullivan. Both teams started to tire but two efforts by substitute Steve Watts almost gave Axa the lead.
The winner for Hardwicke came from a brilliant cross ball from Danny Rasdale to Anson who hammered the ball past Rice from the edge of the box.
25th August 2007 - Taverners hit Wotton for six
A hat-trick for Stewart Lawrence as Taverners hammer six into the Wotton Rovers net without reply. Lawrence opened the scoring on 5 minutes side footing a cross from Matt Blythe into the visitors net. A brilliant piece of skill from Ricky Gaskell and a volley at the end made it 2-0 on 25 minutes. Wotton had several good chances and even struck the crossbar on the hour but it was Lawrence on 63 minutes who drove the ball home from the edge of the box for a 3-0 lead. A couple of minutes later it was 4-0 when the Rovers keeper ended up punching the ball into his own net. Lawrence completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute from a corner and with two minutes to go Craig Harris netted the sixth for Taverners.
Hanham Athletic and Yate Town Res had started their season with a win. Pitted against each other in the second match of the season this game ended in a 2-2 draw but the scales tipped both ways during the 90 minutes. Yate had the better of the first 45 minutes although both keepers were called upon very little during that time. Hanham had two players booked in the space of 5 minutes in the first half and it was from one of these fouls that Yate took the lead. Justin Cartledge was the offender giving away a free kick on the right of the box 25 yards out. Up stepped Jack Smyth and placed the ball past Wilson in the home goal. Minutes later Hanham’s Terry Baker was unlucky with a header that just went over the Yate goal. A couple of minutes from the break Wilson brought of a tremendous double save, first he denied Leroy Swaby with a diving save and then recovered to block Cox’s second attempt. The second half saw the home side take control after a double substitution that introduced Simon Bryant and Simon Dew. Hanham drew level when Lee Forristil hammered a left foot drive past Yate keeper Hamilton on 63 minutes and with Hamilton being tested more and more the home side took the lead on 87 minutes when Mark Pocock struck the ball into the Yate net from 12 yards. Hamilton was in action again to deny several attempts on goal by the home side forwards and managed to keep out a point blank header from Baker. In time added on Yate were handed a life line when Hanham keeper Wilson mis-kicked his clearance and the ball went straight to Justin Cattle who coolly fired the ball into an empty net from 30 yards.
Ellwood started their new season with a 4-2 win at home to Thornbury Town, although they gave the visitors a two goal start before hitting back to win. Chris Johnson gave Town the lead from the penalty spot after 32 minutes and Simon Scanlan made it 2-0 on 43 minutes. Ellwood struck immediately and made it 2-1 through Julian Addis just before the break. Byron Ranford levelled on the hour before Adam Stradling put the home side in front on 70 minutes. Byron Ranford grabbed his second with 2 minutes to go and send town home with a second defeat.
Tuffley Rovers home for the second week in a row took the lead after 11 minutes through Nathan Owen against visitors Patchway Town. Town eventually salvaged a point in the 75th minute when Jason Ford scored from the penalty spot.
18th August 2007 - Yate hit the ground running to start new season
A new season begins for the newly sponsored Surridge Gloucestershire County Football League. Only five fixtures took place but threw up some interesting results.
Yate Town Reserves were the leading goal scorers of the day with a 4-0 victory at Thornbury Town. Thornbury who are under new management fielded a new team and they looked as though they had never played together before. By half time they were trailing 2-0 both netted by Justin Cattle. The first came from a complete lapse of concentration by the home defence after 15 minutes and the second on the half hour was a dreadful back pass to the keeper. Worse was to come for the home side when goalkeeper Steve Farr had to leave the field with a badly damaged finger and in the 75th minute they then found themselves down to 10 men when Joe Garland was dismissed for foul language. Yate had increased their lead in the 60th minute through Neil Simons and Aaron Day wrapped the points up with a goal five minutes from the end.
Hanham Athletic got their season under way with a 2-0 win at home to Berkeley Town. In a very uneventful first half in which neither side looked like scoring the deadlock was broken on the hour when James Hewlett fired home a low cross into the box. The home side made the game safe in the 80th minute when Lee Forrester headed home a far post cross.
New boys Tuffley Rovers also recorded a good win over visitors Henbury. Rovers took the lead in the 13th minute through Pat Boyd who fired home from 12 yards. Henbury drew level right on half time when Jermaine Wright stole the ball from a Rovers defender and ran through to score. Mark Wallington’s 78th minute winner from a corner sealed Rovers their first 3 points in their second spell in the County League. Henbury thought they had secured a point just before the final whistle when they got the ball into the back of the net but it was disallowed for a foul on a Rovers defender.
Patchway Town last years runners-up were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Taverners. Matt Blythe gave Taverners the lead on 20 minutes and it remained that way until 65th minute when Town’s Ben Purdie levelled. Blythe restored the lead for Taverners three minutes later, but substitute Chris Chinnick salvaged a point for the home side in the 87th minute.
Two goals by Micky Adams of Highridge United were not enough to take the three points at D.R.G. Stapleton. After taking the lead in the 12th minute and dominating the first half they were unable to find the back of the net again in the first 45 minutes. The home side looked a different side in the second half and levelled the score on 55 minutes through Leon Wilson. Adams restored the lead for Highridge on 77 minutes only for Sam Glanvill to level three minutes later following up to hammer the ball home after the United keeper spilled a shot.
4th August 2007 - Representative Team - FA National League Systems Cup
Tony Cornelius (Highridge United) has been appointed manager of the leagues representative team, which will this season be competing in the FA National League Systems Cup.
In the first round of this competition the Surridge Gloucestershire County Football league have been drawn away to the Somerset County Football League. The match will be played at Bridgwater Town FC on Wednesday 26th September with a 19:30 kick off.
24th July 2007 - Website updated
The website has been updated with the new seasons details. This season in Surridge Sports we have sponsor for the first time in the leagues history and the league with now be known as the Surridge Gloucestershire County Football League.