Match Reports
30th January - Berkeley snatch late win
Berkeley Town snatch a late winner after trailing 1 – 0 midway into the second half. In a goalless first half in which Yate Town were much the better side but failed to capitalise on chances created. An outstanding performance by the Berkeley Town keeper Ewan Prentice in the first forty five minutes kept Berkeley in the game. Yate’s Ashley Lock had his shot well saved by Prentice with the rebound dropping to Cattle who then saw his effort brilliantly saved by the keeper again. Minutes later Prentice was again the saviour as he pushed the ball over the bar from another Cattle effort. In the 37th minute the game was held up for 18 minutes after a serious injury to Andrew Hobbs of Berkeley Town, the referee taking the players off to the dressing rooms whilst they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Yate had several more chances to have taken the lead but their shots failed to find the target.
Action from Berkeley Town V Yate Town Reserves
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
After 45 seconds of the second half Yate took the lead, a great run down the left by Alex Lambert squaring the ball back for Jacob Cox to hammer the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Lambert should have given Yate a 2 – 0 cushion but his shot on target was deflected out for a corner. At this stage of the game Berkeley seemed to wake up and started pushing forward more and more. With Paul Brooks going close with a good shot, then in the 65th minute after several minutes of pressure Growcott the Yate keeper made a terrific save from a Mike Bryant shot. At the other end Prentice brought off a great save from Lambert who saw the ball rebound to him again but this time it was cleared off the line. Berkeley eventually got on level terms in the 74th minute when Mike Bryant headed home from a corner. Berkeley’s keeper Prentice who had been on top form through-out the game was again called upon from a Craig Power free-kick and then was a bit fortunate to gather a rebound off his defender from a Charlie Lacey header. Berkeley snatched that late winner in the very last minute of the game when a free-kick was again headed home by Mike Bryant.
Henbury gained a valuable 2-1 victory at home to Bishops Cleeve Reserves that moved them up the table. They opened the scoring after 3 minutes when Jack Bebbington fired home from the edge of the box. They went further ahead after 25 minutes when Billy George’s cross deceived the keeper and dropped into the net. The visitors grabbed a consolation goal in the 89th minute when Richard Barnes netted the rebound from the keeper after a free-kick just outside the box.
Title contenders King Stanley lost their home record when they were beaten 2-1 by visitors Brimscombe & Thrupp. The opening period was good entertaining football but very few chances created, until the 25th minute when Aidan Mercer was brought down in the box and Danny Chandler netted from the spot. Brimscombe equalised in the 57th minute when a free-kick from the left was played on by Chris Underwood for John Dalton to score. A few minutes later Stanley were unlucky when they had a shot from Mercer cleared off the line. Brimscombe snatched the lead in the 80th minute when a long ball over the Stanley defence was latched onto by John Dalton to slide the ball past the on coming keeper. The home side still had chances to equalise in the dying minutes but it wasn’t to be.
Action from Berkeley Town V Yate Town Reserves
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
Leaders Rockleaze Avonside had the wind taken out of their sails when bottom club Taverners went away with all the points in a 2- 1 victory. The home side must have thought they had grabbed all three points after Aaron Day had given them the lead in the 70th minute, but Taverners had other ideas and levelled the score in the 75th minute when Tom Burridge’s bullet header gave the home keeper no chance from a corner. With just a couple of minutes on the clock Taverners snatched the winner when the Rockleaze defence lost the ball on the edge of the box and Mark Harsant tapped in the resulting cross which lifts them off the bottom of the table for the first time this season.
Highridge United gained a 3-1 home victory over Chipping Sodbury Town. The home side dominated the first half and had several clear cut chances to have taken the lead and Gary Cripps was guilty of missing the easiest chance after Craig Liddell had set him up. Highridge took the lead from a Craig Hopkins corner in the 65th minute when Cripps made up for his earlier miss driving the ball home from ten yards. Sodbury hit back in the 73rd minute when Mike England’s corner was headed home by Alex Fox. Andy Sledge who had come on as a substitute for the home side then set up Micky Adams to give them a 2-1 lead. With 3 minutes left on the clock, Andy Sledge then made it 3-1 when he rounded several defenders before slotting the ball home.
DRG Stapleton shared a point apiece in a 1-1 draw with visitors Kingswood. A far post header by Ricky Gingell in the 35th minute gave the home side the lead and although they created several other chances they failed to find the back of the net again. Kingswood got on level terms after 72 minutes when Paul Bleaken fired home from six yards after the ball had been crossed in from the right. DRG pushed forward trying to get the winner and saw the ball cleared off the line on several occasions. A brilliant save by Kingswood’s keeper Chris Fox from Sam Thomas tremendous shot that was heading for the top corner saw the game finish all square.
Action from Berkeley Town V Yate Town Reserves
Image courtesy Nigel Meaney
After last weeks 4-1 home defeat, Thornbury Town bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Tuffley Rovers. This was a re-arranged fixture due to both Patchway Town and Hanham Athletic both being drawn in the GFA Challenge Trophy against each other. Thornbury opened the scoring after just five minutes when a cross from Danny Thompson was converted by brother Steve Thompson. Tuffley levelled after 40 minutes when Victor Webb netted from the penalty spot. The home side took the lead early in the second half when Chris Parry swivelled on the edge of the box crashing the ball into the back of the net. Town went further ahead after 60 minutes, Steve Thompson steering the ball into the net through a crowded box. An Ashley Davis goal on 70 minutes gave Tuffley some hope but they couldn’t find that extra goal to share the points.
23rd January - Brimscombe and Berkeley share spoils
At last our first games of football played in the Surridge Gloucestershire County Football League since December 12th. Seven out of the eight fixtures scheduled were completed with just Chipping Sodbury Town v Tuffley Rovers postponed. Brimscombe & Thrupp entertained Berkeley Town. The result was a 1-1 draw but on chances crated throughout the game it might have been at least 4-4. The first chance fell to Berkeley’s Richard Langford whose shot went just over the bar after just 3 minutes. Then a minute later Ben Gillison’s cross come shot also just cleared the crossbar. At the other end Lee Pritchard had his shot well blocked with the rebound being headed onto the crossbar by John Dalton. Berkeley pushed the home defence hard in the early stages but good solid defending kept them at bay. Dalton had a good chance to put the home side ahead but his finishing touch was poor. Berkeley’s Mike Bryant went close with a good shot on the turn from the edge of the box and Keeper Adam Thomas saved well from Ryan Stevenson.
Berkeley took the lead after 25 minutes when a long ball into the Brimscombe box was poorly dealt with and some hesitation from both Clark and the keeper allowed Mike Bryant to smash the ball home from 6 yards. Town’s keeper Ewan Prentice was called into action when he was at full stretch to push a Matt Blyth effort around the post. Then Lee Prichard saw his effort from the edge of the box just clear the bar. The home side levelled the score on 42 minutes when a Berkeley defender handled inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot, with John Dalton making no mistake from 12 yards.
The second half could have seen either side grab a second but some stout defending by both sides kept the score down to 1-1. Thomas saved well from Richard Langford and Prentice saved well from Lee Prichard’s solo run down the left as he slid out to take the ball of his toe. It was Prentice again who brought off a brilliant save to deny Pritchard. A fair result from a very entertaining afternoon’s football.
Hanham Athletic got off to a great start after the enforced break with a 3-0 win over strugglers Henbury. Hanham who had controlled the game from the start took the lead on 20 minutes when a shot from Ton Buxton-Blyth bobbled in front of the Henbury keeper before entering the net. The second came 10 minutes later when Tom Buxton-Blyth took a quick free kick and caught Henbury’s defence out. The home side had a goal disallowed in the 50th minute for an infringement in the box, but made up for it on the hour when Nathan Evens was through one on one with the keeper before slotting it home.
Kingswood’s Tom Higgins netted three with Gavin Dibden grabbing the fourth in their 4-1 home victory over Highridge United. Higgins opened the scoring in the 40th minute when he fired home from short range after Ian Mills had set him up. Highridge United were reduced to 10 men at half time after Craig Hopkins was sent off for using inappropriate language at the referee. Gavin Dibden then made it 2-0 on 62 minutes with a shot from 12 yards. Higgins grabbed his second on 68 minutes with a neat chip over the Highridge keeper. Kingswood took a 4-0 lead after 74 minutes as Tom Higgins completed his hat-trick with a tap in from close range. Higridge’s consolation goal came in the 90th minute after Adam Eldridge brought Shane Hobbs down in the box with the striker getting up to net the resulting penalty.
Thornbury Town took a rather unexpected defeat as they went down 4-1 at home to D.R.G. Stapleton. The spokesman for Thornbury said that the team’s performance was way below par on the day. They started well taking the lead after 10 minutes when brothers Danny and Steve Thompson created the chance to give them the lead Steve getting the final touch. That lasted until the 30th minute when the visitors levelled the score with a Sam Thomas goal a scramble in the box. A terrible mix up again in defence allowed the visitors to take the lead on the hour through Andy Criddle. And from then on it was all down hill. Aaron Taynton made it 3-1 in the 70th minute after Lippiatt had failed to clear and Rob Treanor netted the fourth with just five minutes to go.
Taverners are gradually creeping closer to the other two clubs down at the bottom after picking up a point from a 1-1 draw at home to Patchway Town. Taverners were much the better side in the first 45 minutes with several good chances going begging. If the chances had gone in they would have been home and dry but they had to settle for a one goal lead after a Patchway defender deflected the ball into his own net. The second period belonged to Patchway Town who pressurised the home defence for long periods but could only find the back of the net on one occasion a splendid goal scored by Matt Webb.
Axa got their season back on track with a 3-2 victory over Bishops Cleeve Reserves. Steve Watts headed the home side in front after 8 minutes from 12 yards the ball shaving the inside of the post on its way in. The home side went 2-0 up on the half hour when Steve Watts side footed home from close range for his second. A minute into the second half Bishops Cleeve pulled a goal back as Sam Strickland netted from a corner. In the 70th minute Matt Shaughnessy drove the ball home from 12 yards to put Axa 3-1 up. In the very last minute Tim Haddock netted a second for the visitors but it was too late to salvage a point.
Ellwood remain next to bottom after a 2-0 home defeat by new leaders Rockleaze Avonside. No goals in the first 45 minutes then Kristen Douglas opened the scoring for the visitors with Ellwood’s defence appealing for offside, but the goal stood. A second after 75 minutes by Aaron Day was again disputed by the Ellwood defence as they protested about a foul on the keeper. When you are near the bottom every little decision seems to go against you.