Match Reports
31st January 2009 - DRG give Slimbridge a scare
Basement club DRG Stapleton gave high flyers Slimbridge a scare when they could have opened the scoring after just two minutes when Justin Bishop’s lob was pushed over the bar by Ryan Chandler. The home side looked very dangerous and positive coming forward and Slimbridge’s defence was given a torrid time. With all this early pressure DRG took the lead after 6 minutes when Conrad Mignott headed home from a corner. In their first real break forward Slimbridge’s recent signing Gary Ash nipped in between Whitcliffe and the home keeper Chris Telfer to flick the ball into the net to level the score. Marvyn Roberts of Slimbridge then fired a shot just over the bar from the edge of the box. At the other end Zayne Simpson’s shot was well saved by Chandler tipping the ball just over the bar. The home side then surprised all when they took a 2 – 1 lead in the 17th minute with a brilliantly placed shot from Conrad Mignott that flew across Chandler into the top corner. The home side, whom had the better of the play in the first half then saw Zayne Simpon’s free-kick blocked on the 6 yard line and scrambled away by the Slimbridge defence. Slimbridge thought they had equalized when Ed Ward scored with a great volley only to see the linesman flag raised for off-side.
The second half saw the visitors push forward in an attempt to level the scores but the home side were determined to deny them by getting players in numbers behind the ball. With all the pressure Slimbridge eventually levelled the score after 67 minutes when a free-kick from Wellon into the box was missed by Telfer the home keeper and Ian Preece lobbed the ball over a crowded defence into an empty net. Slimbridge continued to push forward and were nearly caught out with just minutes left when Zayne Simpson clear on goal pulled his shot wide from just inside the box with just Chandler to beat. An excellent result for the basement club, but another two points dropped by the visitors.
Yate Town Reserves picked up another 3 points in their push up the table with a 2 – 0 home victory over Bishops Cleeve Reserves at Lodge Rd. Jack Smyth opened the scoring in the 40th minute after picking up a loose ball and his left footed shot found the back of the net. Midway through the second half Yate wrapped up the points with a Justin Cattle penalty after Gary Simmond’s was brought down in the box.
Another major upset this weekend as Taverners upset the form book with another surprise victory this time at Henbury. Henbury were brought back down to earth this week after the resounding win over Axa last week when they went down 1 – 0 to the Nailsworth outfit. Russell Chamberlain grabbed the only goal of the game which came in time added on in the first half. What made things worse for the home side was the sending off of Craig Hobbs just before the break. Henbury were denied any points after good work from the Taverners keeper who brought off several good saves in the second half.
Chipping Sodbury Town gained their fourth victory of the season away to B & W Avonside, after going a goal behind and having a player dismissed. Kris Reubens opened the scoring after 10 minutes for the home side which found him unmarked and his right footed shot flew into the top corner of the net. Both sides had further chances in the first half but failed to capitalize. In the 60th minute Sodbury were down to ten men when Lee Pendry was dismissed. This inspired Sodbury into action and levelled the score through Paul Harris in the 70th minute. 12 minutes later they gained all three points when Ian Burnell’s challenge gave away a free-kick which Laurence Dorman converted.
Kings Stanley moved joint top of the County league with a resounding 4 – 1 home victory over Highridge United. Stanley took the lead after 10 minutes through Tony Francis. 15 minutes later Martin McDermott scored the best goal of the game. In the second half Matt Casey set up McDermott again to put Stanley in the driving seat. With five minutes remaining McDermott grabbed his hat-trick. Highridge’s Micky Adams grabbed a late consolation goal.
Thornbury Town continued their recent good form with a convincing 4 – 0 victory over promotion hopefuls Axa. Despite losing their captain Ricki Lippiatt after just five minutes through injury. After a scoreless first half the home side broke the deadlock on 55 minutes when Chris Parry’s cross found Steve Rice in the box who rounded the keeper to score. In the 65th minute Sammy Lippiatt slipped the ball to Steve Rice who’s shot found the back of the net for his second. Jack Warren came on as a substitute and his dinky run eventually found Troy Monks who made no mistake for ‘Towns’ third. Thornbury finished off a great afternoon with three minutes remaining when Chris Parry was put through again but was brought down in the box and Sam Lippiatt converted the spot kick.
Tuffley Rovers and Patchway Town provided their spectators with a goal fest at Glevum Park. In the first 24 minutes Patchway stormed into a three goal lead. The first coming on 15 minutes when Matt Fowler caught the home side on the break after a square pass found him, to tap in from close range. On 18 minutes Paul Francis scored from a free-kick after poor defending in the box by the home side and six minutes later Patchway made it 3 – 0 when Francis netted his second from a low cross, his first time shot from the edge of the box gave the home keeper no chance. In the next 17 minutes Tuffley hit back three times to level the score by the break, the first coming in the 27th minute when a free-kick was diverted past Alford by Stuart Jenkins for own goal. 4 minutes later Tuffley were awarded a penalty which Ben Surman converted. A minute before the break the home side were level when a Pat Boyd’s shot was spilled by Alford and Chris Lee netted from the re-bound. In the 85th minute Patchway thought they had wrapped the points up when Searle netted after a scramble in the box. All was not lost for the home side as they grabbed a share of the points in time added on when Rob Cook’s drive from just inside the box gave the Patchway keeper no chance.
24th January 2009 - Henbury hit AXA for six
With just one mile between Henbury and Axa, it turned out to be a field day for the home club. The highlight of the day being a Shane Hobbs Hat-trick. On a bumpy pitch which the home side adapted to much better than Axa, Henbury were relentless in their approach. Hobbs who gave the Axa defence little rest through-out the 90 minutes opened the scoring after 13 minutes with a great strike from the edge of the box which gave Pearce in the Axa goal no chance. Henbury increased their lead in the 27th minute with a superb individual goal from George Watts, weaving past three Axa defenders before driving the ball into the roof of the net from 12 yards. Although Axa forced several corners in the first half they never really troubled the Henbury defence, failing to get a shot on target. Henbury made it 3 – 0 in the 44th minute when Craig Hobbs deceived Pearce with a neat chip that dipped just under the bar. Just before the break Axa’s Tim O’Loughlin missed a golden opportunity to pull a goal back when he shot wide from just 8 yards.
Andy Sledge had the first opportunity in the second half to score for Axa but pulled his shot wide of the target. A few minutes later Sledge managed a shot on target which was really well saved by Winkler. Henbury made it 4 – 0 when Aaron Wilson broke down the left, cut in, hit a good shot on target which was well save by Pearce but rebounded to Shane Hobbs who created the space to drive a left foot shot into the net. Henbury went 5 – 0 up on the hour when Wright and Hobbs combined on the right with Hobbs sending in a great cross for Aaron Wilson to head home. Axa did manage to get a consolation goal in the 80th minute when Andy Sledge turned in a Danny Thorpe cross. Henbury’s attitude to this was to breakaway at the other end where Shane Hobbs made it 6 – 1 and completed his hat-trick.
Thornbury Town gained a excellent 3 – 2 victory over Tuffley Rovers to ease any fears of relegation. But the opening didn’t go as planned when Marcus Foxwell gave Tuffley the lead after just two minutes. It took Thornbury another 48 minutes to get on level terms when Chris Parry making his debut at home hit a 40 yard cracker. Town took the lead on the hour mark when James Derosa stabbed the ball into the net after a scramble in the box. Rovers were back on level terms in the 70th minute when Ben Surman netted from the penalty spot. Thornbury striker Steve Alexander was industrious through-out the 90 minutes with out managing to get on the score sheet. The winner for Town came in the 85th minute when Chris Parry’s free-kick gave the Tuffley keeper no chance.
Ellwood moved top of the County league with a resounding 4 – 0 win at Highridge United at the Creek. No goals in the first 45 minutes but Ellwood’s Daryl Addis struck the post and united’s Chris Johnson fired over the bar from 6 yards. Ellwood opened the scoring in the 62nd minute when Daryl Addis turned in Gary Wildin’s cross. Ellwood went further ahead in the 75th minute when Highridge defender Peter Ball gave away a penalty and Gary Wildin made no mistake from 12 yards. A second goal from Wildin in the 82nd minute put Ellwood in a comfortable position and in the dying seconds of the match Daryl Addis grabbed his second of the afternoon.
The shock of the day came at Wisloe Rd where Taverners ran out 2 – 0 winners over Slimbridge. All the action came from Taverners in the first half. They took the lead on 14 minutes when Russ Chamberlain headed home a Kris Pritlove cross at the far post. Three minutes later Pritlove hit a long hopeful shot which deceived Chandler the Slimbridge keeper and dropped into the net. In the second half it was Slimbridge that were the better side but failed to take advantage of their dominance and are now pushed of the top of the table.
Yate Town Reserves take their unbeaten run to seven games with a 5 – 3 victory at B & W Avonside. Yate Town took the lead early on when Nuno Felix netted the rebound after B & W’s keeper Alex Lippiatt on his debut made the original save. Within 5 minutes B & W levelled through Kye Simpson’s shot from the edge of the box. Yate then scored two quick goals both from Justin Cattle from short range. Felix Nuno netted his second just before the break to give the visitors a comfortable 4 – 1 lead. In the second half B & W pulled a goal back when Mike Morris scored from short range after a scramble in the box. Arron Day made it interesting when he made it 3 – 4 for B & W. But Yate had the final word in the dying minutes when they caught B & W on the break and Nuno Felix netted his third of the afternoon with a good goal.
17th January 2009 - Ellwood battle past Kings Stanley
After a complete blank weekend last week, the League was glad to get some fixtures played.
With eight fixtures scheduled to go ahead, two were called off in the north of the county due to heavy overnight rain at Tuffley and Bishops Cleeve Res.
The clash between 2nd and 3rd teams in the league, Ellwood verses King Stanley was always going to be a close encounters. Ellwood took all three points with a narrow 1-0 victory but squandered chances which could have brought about a different outcome. Ellwood should have took the lead as early as the second minute, when Daryl Addis had a glorious chance from 12 yards with only Stanley’s keeper Richard King to beat he shot straight into his arms. Ellwood continued with their early pressure, with a free-kick from Ryan Pendry again being well saved by King. A few minutes later saw Byron Ranford’s twenty yard shot just skimmed over the bar. Stanley were under a lot of pressure and rarely ventured into Ellwood’s box. Ellwood opened the scoring in the 29th minute from a free-kick on the left, which Derek Roberts curled into the box Keeper King coming to collect but missed completely and Byron Ranford was on the far post to head home. The pressure continued from Ellwood with Nelson, Daryl Addis and Ranford keeping Stanley’s defence at full stretch.
Action from Ellwood V Kings Stanley
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
In the second half Stanley came out of the blocks with a bit more determination and it was the Ellwood defence who had to be at their best to prevent them scoring. After weathering the early storm Ellwood’s first break could have resulted in a second goal when Darly Addis set up Ranford but he shot wide of the target. Stanley’s first real attempt on goal came in the 49th minute when Steve Potter’s shot went wide of the upright. The next few minutes saw Ellwood bombarding the Stanley goal but some brilliant defending kept them at bay. Stanley’s first real chance to level the score came after 68 minutes when Potter’s cross beat the Ellwood defence but Matt Casey just failed to make contact. Ellwood created several further chances to make the game safe but poor finishing let them down. Two brilliant saves from the Ellwood keeper Craig Edwards, one after another. Firstly a shot from Stanley’s Martin McDermott and then a superb shot from Sam Prior saw Edwards pushing the ball from the top corner just around the post. Ellwood still pushed forward in the dying minute Ranford missed a glorious chance after being set up by Gary Wildin.
Axa, who have only been defeated once this season entertained top of the table Slimbridge in what turned out to be a very close game. Slimbridge dominated the first half but only managed to find the back of the net on one occasion. A good break down the right and cross into the box was met by Martin Booth who carried the ball forward before slotting it past Pearce in the Axa goal. The second half saw Axa come more into the game and eventually levelled the score in the 75th minute after Tim O’Loughlin and Steve Watts worked the ball through to Andy Watts to slide past Chandler in the Slimbridge goal. Slimbridge had two late chances to sew the game up but Booth and Lewis Wilton both failed to take advantage.
Thornbury continue their good away form with a hard earned point on a very heavy pitch at Berkeley Town. Neither side managed to find the back of the net in the first half but Berkeley took the lead after 68 minutes with a Pete Holder goal. Two minutes later Thornbury were level when Sam Lippiatt curled a sweet free-kick into the roof of the net. A couple of minutes from the end, Berkeley’s keeper Terry Stephenson brought off a point blank save to keep the score level at 1 – 1.
Ranford heads home the winner for Ellwood against Kings Stanley
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
DRG Stapleton gained only their fourth point of the season with a 2 – 2 home draw against Yate Town Res. All the goals came in the first 45 minutes. Clinton Wilson opened the scoring for DRG after ten minutes but in the 16th minute Yate drew level when Justin Cattle netted from the Penalty spot. A minute later the home side were awarded a penalty but Ricky Bishop’s shot was well saved by the Yate Keeper. In the 19th minute Jack Smyth outpaced the DRG defence to give Yate the lead. The home side then levelled the score in the 31th minute from a Zayne Simpson’s superb free-kick. Just before the break Giovani Fisher missed a golden opportunity to put the home side in front missing an open goal from just six yards.
Patchway Town took all three points in this bottom of the table clash at Vicarage Rd. Hanham Athletic took the lead mid-way through the first half when Mark Pocock scored from open play. Patchway equalised just before the break when Adam Searle netted from a cross from the right which dropped nicely for him to side foot home. With two minutes remaining Patchway were awarded a corner and from the cross Ollie Bacon rounded one defender to slide the ball home.
Chipping Sodbury Town’s first visit to Taverners resulted in a 2 – 0 defeat for the struggling club. After a goalless first half on a very boggy pitch Russ Chamberlain opened the scoring for Taverners in the 53rd minute and a second on 72 minutes a header from Andy Griffiths gave the home side the three much needed points.
3rd January 2009 - Thornbury freeze out Patchway
Only two games survived the very hard overnight frost.
Thornbury Town were the visitors to Patchway Town and came away with a very hard fought 2-0 win.
The referee decided the pitch was playable and although very bumpy both teams acquitted themselves very well.
The first half saw no goals but Thornbury Town spurned two easy chances in the first ten minutes of the game. The first chance saw a good move down the Patchway left flank with Steve Alexander crossing the ball for Troy Monks who was clear on the far post, as Monks received the ball his touch let him down and the opportunity to open the scoring was lost. Just a few minutes later the ball dropped kindly for Dave Greaves who in trying to lob the home keeper only succeeded in lifting the ball over the bar, two good opportunities missed. Thornbury striker Chris Johnston’s free kick from just outside the box had keeper Lee Francis pushing the ball away for a corner. The home side’s first attempt on goal saw a good cross from Adam Searle wide on the left met by Bradley Harris but his control let him down and the chance was lost. A few minutes later there was panic in the Thornbury defence as Mark Woods free kick popped up in front of Greaves and was hurriedly clipped away by Fowler. The home side had a glorious chance to take the lead on the half hour when Ollie Bacon’s through ball was latched onto by Brad Harris and as he bore down on goal his control let him down and his shot went well wide of the target. Just before the break Steve Alexander found some space to let fly with a shot on goal but a Patchway defender managed to block the shot and it went away for a corner.
In the early stages of the second half it was Patchway who looked as though they might break the deadlock and only a good tackle from Rikki Lippiatt prevented Harris’s path to goal. Thornbury striker Steve Alexander who worked tirelessly throughout the game found space for a direct shot at goal only to see his shot really well saved by Francis in the home goal. Substitute Danny Webb broke clear down the Thornbury right and sent in a low cross that saw Brad Harris just pipped to the ball by Thorns keeper Sam Curry. Thornbury eventually broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute when that man Alexander latched onto a ball pumped down the Patchway left and his low shot into the six yard box was really well met by his fellow striker Chris Johnston to turn the ball past Francis. Unfortunately the next move saw Patchway’s Paul Francis leaving the field after receiving a red card. Thornbury made it 2-0 in the 88th minute again Steve Alexander was involved this time bearing down on goal when he was fouled by Jason Ford and the referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Ford was then shown the red card by the referee as he was the second last defender and had denied Alexander a clear scoring chance. Dave Greaves stepped up to take the penalty and sent Francis the wrong way to clinch the three points.
A minutes silence was held before the game at Hanham in memory of Committee Member Gerald Waddington who passed away on December 22nd aged 78.
The pitch being passed fit to play by the Referee Hanham Athletic must be sorry that the game took place after going down 4-0 to visitors Henbury. The first 30 minutes of the game was a little scrappy to say the least and both sides struggled a bit. Then the deadlock was broken by Henbury as Nick McCootie’s long range shot skidded off the surface deceived keeper Mike Strawford and ended up in the back of the home side’s net.
On the hour mark Henbury were 2-0 up after Hanham’s Craig Sperring brought a player down in the box and Eddie Howells netted the spot kick. In the next six minutes Henbury score twice more Nick McCootie netted his second from close range and at this stage the Hanham player’s heads began to drop and within a minute Craig Hobbs scored to complete the scoring. This win moves Henbury up to 4th position in the table.