Match Reports
12th December - Taverners shut out Tuffley
Kings Stanley move back to the top of the table with an excellent 5 – 1 home win over Axa. Stanley opened the scoring after ten minutes when Danny Chandler’s through ball set up Ben Newman to score. Axa levelled the score on 25 minutes when Matthew Shaughnessy’s 30 yard pile driver flew past keeper Gavin Dean. A minute later Stanley were back in the lead when Steve Walters headed home a cross from the right. In the 40th minute Mike Beckingham turned a defender and sent Matt Casey clear to run on and fire past the keeper. Twenty minutes into the second half Stanley took a 4-1 lead when Martin McDermott’s shot was deflected on to the post on its way into the net. Stanley rounded the scoring off in the 80th minute when a good run down the right by Aidan Mercer whose long cross was headed home by Matt Casey on the far post.
Thornbury Town were brought back down to earth after their big win last week when they had to fight back from a 2-0 deficit at home to Henbury to salvage a 2-2 draw. Henbury took the lead in the 35th minute with an Eddie Howells penalty. And then five minutes later went into a 2 – 0 lead when George Watts squeezed the ball through the legs of the Thornbury keeper. Town’s attitude changed in the second half and in the 65th minute Matt Morrison’s cross was headed home by Steve Alexander on the far post. Ten minutes before the end the same two players were involved again for the Thornbury equaliser this time Morrison crossed from the right, Steve Alexander then rounded a defender before slotting the ball in the net.
Action from Taverners V Tuffley Rovers
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
Rockleaze Avonside move into third place with a slender 1 – 0 win over close rivals DRG Stapleton. The only goal of the game coming in the 20th minute when Steve Mason slotted home from the penalty spot.
Hanham Athletic versus Yate Town Reserves was a fixture brought forward from April with the visitors going away with all three points from a 1-0 victory. The only goal of the game came from Alex Lambert when he was put clear to fire home from the edge of the box after 25 minutes.
Action from Taverners V Tuffley Rovers
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
At Ellwood, the visitors Highridge United came away with a 3 – 2 victory to move them up into fourth place in the table. Highridge took the lead in the very first minute through Gary Cripps, but an Ed Dawkins goal on 15 minutes levelled the score. Two goals by striker Shane Hobbs just before the break saw the visitors take a 3-1 lead. Ellwood hit back in the 67th minute with a Gary Wildin strike but then he got himself sent off leaving the home side an up hill struggle for remainder of the game.
Brimscombe and Thrupp ran out 2 – 1 winners over Bishops Cleeve Reserves. The game didn’t come alive until the end of the first half when both John Dalton and Jamie Martin had chances cleared off the line. But right on 45 minutes Brimscombe took the lead, John Dalton heading home a cross from the right. Lee Pritchard who had come on a substitute almost made it 2 – 0 but hit the foot of the post with a tremendous shot from the edge of the box. In the 60th minute Dalton should have made it 2- 0 but keeper Benbow pulled off a brilliant save to deny the striker a second goal. In the 88th minute Bishops Cleeve levelled the score when Bobby Allen headed home from a corner. Brimscombe snatched the lead with a dramatic late winner after Aaron Booth was pulled down in the box and John Dalton netted his second of the afternoon to seal the points for the home side.
Action from Taverners V Tuffley Rovers
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
Kingswood and Chipping Sodbury played out a game with few chances with the final score finishing 0 – 0. This was a good start for Sodbury’s new manager Mark Stenner.
Top versus bottom, that’s Taverners who are currently bottom against the leaders Tuffley Rovers. The first ten minutes of this game, Taverners were on the back foot as the visitors pressed them back into their own half. Tuffley’s real first chance came when Warren Mann’s cross into the box was brilliantly cut out by keeper Duane Portlock. Mann was again put clear down the left and as he cut in he drove the ball into the side netting with two men in space that were in a better position to score. Cook’s header from a corner from the right was heading goal-bound but was deflected wide by a Taverners defender. Taverner’s first real chance on goal came after 22 minutes, from a Matt Spring effort. Tuffley’s keeper Adie Bennett was lucky not to have received a caution as he handled just outside the box to the far left. The free-kick was easily dealt with by the Tuffley defence getting Bennett off the hook. Just before the break the home keeper Portlock brought off a good save to deny Tuffley taking the lead.
Action from Taverners V Tuffley Rovers
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
A Tuffley free-kick after 53 minutes saw the ball pinged backwards and forwards in the box before the final effort flew over the bar. In the 70th minute, keeper Bennett was called upon to make a good diving save from a Tom Hanley shot that looked as though it was going in. Tuffley should have taken the lead in the 73rd minute when Ashley Davis pulled his shot wide of the post from just 8 yards. In the 79th minute Tuffley were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the box just to the left of the goal and a tremendous shot from Vic Webb would have beaten the keeper but just went the wrong side of the post. At the other end Taverners might have snatched the lead when Tom Hanley’s cross into the box was missed by Mark Harsant with the goal gaping. Taverners were reduced to ten men in the 86th minute when Jay Redbond received a second yellow card and was sent off. Taverners will be the happier of the two clubs having managed a clean sheet and take a valuable point.
5th December - Kingswood late show stuns AXA
A dramatic late winner by Tom Higgins for Kingswood completed a hard fought 3 – 2 victory at Axa.
The visitors showed their intentions when they took the lead after 6 minutes when keeper Chris Fox’s long ball up field caught Axa’s defence napping and Tom Higgins nipped in between the two central defenders to chip the ball over Axa keeper Dave Hill. Two minutes later Axa should have levelled the score when Jason Reynolds had a clear shot on goal but it was brilliantly saved by Fox and the danger averted. The home side levelled the score on 19 minutes after some good inter change of passes down the left and Mike Burnett’s cross was headed home by Brad Saunders. Axa had a great chance to take the lead in the 36th minute when another good move the left saw Burnett clear on goal but was foiled by Fox who brought off a brilliant save. Three minutes before the break a messy foul by Axa’s Richard Nelmes resulted in the Referee awarding a penalty to Kingswood. Nelmes was subsequently sent off for a second bookable offence leaving Axa down to ten men. Gavin Dibden then proceeded to net from the penalty spot giving Kingswood a 2 – 1 half time lead.
Axa came close early in the second half through Robbie Allen with a shot that was just wide of the upright. At the other end Dave Hill was at full stretch to push Paul Bleaken’s free-kick over the bar. Then Gavin Dibden had a great chance to increase the lead for the visitors but shot wide of the target. In the 84th minute Axa almost levelled the score when a header from Greening beat keeper Fox but hit the upright and rebounded into play, with time running out and only two minutes left on the clock, Axa were awarded a penalty after a long ball into the box caught the Kingswood defence out and a clumsy challenge gave the referee no option to point to the spot. Steve Watts converted the penalty to put Axa on level terms. But the visitors were not finished and a minute later broke down the right and the ball crossed into the box for Tom Higgins to score his second of the afternoon.
The shock result of the day was the 6 - 1 win by Thornbury Town at Bishops Cleeve Reserves. Thornbury took the lead on 17 minutes with a Steve Thompson header. Two minutes later a corner from Sam Lippiatt was headed home by Christian Irwin to put Thornbry 2 – 0 up. Bishops Cleeve pulled a goal back on 35 minutes after some good work by Sonnie Burrows whose shot struck the post and Sam Strickland was on hand to knock in the rebound. In the 40th minute Steve Thompson made good use of a defensive error by Ben Maguire to give Thornbury a 3 – 1 lead. On the stroke of half-time Steve Alexander was sent clear on goal and rounded Steve Bembow to give Thornbury a 4 – 1 lead at half-time. On the hour mark, Steve Thompson‘s shot at the far post completed a well deserved hat-trick. Steve Alexander netted number six and his second of the afternoon when he cut in from the left and shot into the far corner of the net.
Tuffley Rovers go top of the table with a 2 – 0 victory over struggling side Ellwood. Rovers took the lead after 12 minutes when Vic Webb struck a free-kick from just outside the box that curled around the wall and struck the under-side of the bar on its way into the net. The second goal came in the 52nd minute when a cross from the right was side footed home by Mark Wallington. Tuffley had the ball in the net a further three times but were all dis-allowed two for off-side and one for hand ball.
Highride United ran out 2 – 1 winners over high-flyers Rockleaze Avonside at the Creek. The home side had two glorious chances early on to take the lead but both Mickey Adams and Gary Cripps missed easy chances. At the other end Kye Simpson had a great chance to open the scoring for Rockleaze but again missed the chance. The home side took the lead in the 20th minute when Shane Hobbs flicked home a Gary Cripps cross. In the first minute of the second half, Rockleaze were level when Neil Simons set up Kye Simpson to drive his shot from the edge of the box in off the post. For the next twenty minutes Rockleaze were the better side and could of taken the lead if Troy Simpson hadn’t fluffed his shot. With time running out and a draw looking likely up popped that man Hobbs to turn in the box and smash the ball home to give Highridge the points.