MARCLIFF Gloucestershire County Football League

Ron's Match Reports

22^nd February 2014 - Hanham too strong for Henbury

Gala Wilton increased their lead at the top of the table to three points with a 1-0 win at third place Frampton United. Second place Longlevens were held to a 0-0 draw at Kingswood.

At the bottom of the table, Berkeley Town picked up three points with a 2-1 win against visitors Yate Town Reserves. Two wins in a week ease Bristol Academy’s relegation worries.

Hanham Athletic won their home game against Henbury by two goals to nil. But it could have been a different tale if Henbury, who had much more of the possession in the first half had taken their chances. Adam Rossers shot after three minutes was on target but not strong enough to beat Dan Fletcher in the home goal. A minute later Luke Cox missed a glorious chance to put Henbury ahead. Fletcher then brought off a good save to deny Ed Howell’s header going in the eighth minute. Hanham had been pegged back and it took until the twentieth minute before they forced their first corner. The first real chance for the home side came in the twenty eighth minute from a Jack Baber header that he directed wide of the target. At the other end Adam Rosers powerful drive from 25 yards just cleared the bar. Cameron Tarr brought of a fantastic save on the half hour mark as he palmed a point blank shot inside the six yard box from Adam Grinter away to safety. Henbury were very unlucky in the thirty fourth minute when Adam Rosser got just in front of two Hanham defenders, beat Fletcher with his shot but it struck the upright and rebounded to Rosser whose second shot look to be going in, but was somehow blocked by a defender who flung himself across goal and deflected the ball away. Henbury’s failure to find the back of the net rebounded on them in the thirty seventh minute when a long free kick from the right found Craig Stone free in the box and he fired the ball past Tarr.

Hanham found their feet after the break and began to gain more possession with Ryan Madge firing just over the bar in the sixty ninth minute. Henbury should have levelled on seventy minutes but Ed Howell missed a great chance. Adam Grinter should have made it two- nil to Hanham in the seventieth minute but lifted the ball over from two yards out. In the eighty second minute Tarr pulled of another great save to deny Craig Stones header going in. The second goal for Hanham came in the very last minute of the game from a bizarre incident. Henbury had pushed forward to the half way line – the ball was lifted over their defence and with no defenders in sight Tarr rushed off his line a full forty yards to clear the ball. Adam Grinter had moved towards the ball and Tarr’s attempt to clear went badly wrong and it left Grinter a clear run on goal to slide the ball into an empty net.

The game at Kingswood and Longlevens ended in a goalless draw but there was plenty of incidents throughout the game. Longlevens could have been one up in the very first minute but for a tremendous save by the Kingswood keeper Chris Fox. Fox then brought of a double save from Shaun O’Connor in the thirteenth minute to keep his goal in tacked. In the twenty forth minute Kingswood’s claim for a penalty was waved away by the Match Official. The upright stopped Ryan Dunns shot in the thirty eighth minute from giving Longlevens the lead. Just before the break Brad Martin cut in from the flank and drove a low shot at the Kingswood goal but Fox got down at his near post to stop the ball going in. Kingswood did fair a little better in the second half and might have taken the lead in the fifty fifth minute when Ryan Mudd was put clear but could not get the ball past the Longlevens keeper Mark Harris.

Frampton United came up against league leaders Gala Wilton and a single goal in the twentieth minute decided this result. The Frampton defence were caught out with a long punt up field by the visitor’s keeper the ball clearing the home defence for Craig Harris to run clear and score. Frampton had a penalty appeal turned down in the fortieth minute. There were few chances created throughout the game but a twenty five yard free kick in the seventy fifth minute from Gala’s Adam Hemming struck the cross bar. Frampton almost levelled the score in the very last minute but for a tremendous save by the Gala keeper pushing the ball over from a Jamie Power thirty five yard free kick.

Bristol Academy recorded their second win in a week with this comfortable four – one victory over Thornbury Town. Josh Cann gave the home side the lead in the sixteenth minute with a thirty five yard shot. A minute into the second half Thornbury drew level when a cross into the box that was volleyed home by Nathan Sage. Sam Johnson then found himself with an empty net to put the Academy back in front on fifty minutes. In the seventy eighth minute Toby Waterman sent Tyler Finch-Vassell clear to fire a shot across the keeper and in off the post. The home side scored again in the eighty eighth minute through Marcus Thatcher after he had received a great through ball from David Sims-Burgess.

Berkeley Town recorded their third win of the season with a two – one win at home to Yate Town Reserves. Tom Andrews gave the home side the lead firing home from the edge of the box after the ball had been pulled back by Sam Strickland in the twenty eighth minute. Yate’s Ryan Hughes squared the game up in the forty eighth minute driving the ball home at the far post following a good cross into the box. Berkeley snatched the winner with just two minutes left – Sam Strickland’s shot going in of the post after being put clear on goal.

8^th February 2014 - Kings Stanley see off Gala Wilton

Yet another Saturday when seven of the nine fixtures scheduled were wiped out by the weather. The two that went ahead were in the North of the County, Frampton United v Yate Town Reserves and Kings Stanley v Gala Wilton. Frampton United’s win over Yate Town Res moved them into third place in the table, but they have played twenty seven games and have only seven left to complete the season. Kings Stanley’s win over top of the table Gala Wilton moved them up several places.

The game between Kings Stanley and league leaders Gal Wilton kicked off with blue skies in the surrounding area, but by half time the situation had deteriorated into heavy rain and strong gusts of wind. Stanley kicking against the wind in the first half were quicker off the mark in the first ten minutes managing to force a corner on the left that was easily dealt with by the visitors. Gala’s first real attack on goal after twelve minutes resulted in their first corner of the game but this time the Stanley defence were in charge. A second corner for the visitors a few minutes later was only half cleared by the Stanley defence, but the shot on goal from the edge of the box went way over the top. The first keeper to be really tested on twenty five minutes saw Stanley keeper Ashley Gale take the ball easily from Liam Halliday’s 20 yard drive. Gala were unlucky in the thirtieth minute when Mark Mason struck the crossbar. A couple of minutes later Stanley’s Ben Newman pushed the ball inside to Nathan Buckland who had a clear shot on goal but fired the ball wide of the target. Stanley took the lead on thirty five minutes as the ball was picked up out on the right by Brad Moore and his cross to the far post found Buckland free to slide the ball past Ollie Hall. Liam Gale broke into the box just before the break heading for goal but good defending by the visitors snuffed the chance out.

The weather definitely played a big part in the second half as the ground that was soft before became very slippery. Both sides adapted well to the conditions although Gala had much more of the possession in the second period. Joel White tested Gale with a shot four minutes into the second half and Stanley were on the back foot for a great deal of the half, just relying on long balls to get them some relief at the back. In a rare break by the home side in the sixty second minute they almost got a second from a long ball to the far post where it was met by Liam Gale but his headed attempt struck the crossbar and was cleared. Mark Mason had a good chance to level for Gala in the seventy fifth minute but his header wet just over the bar. Stanley can thank keeper Ashley Gale for keeping them in the game in the eightieth minute as he dived across goal to push Myron Turners shot around the post. In the dying minutes a rare break by the home team almost resulted in a second goal but Nathan Buckland pulled his shot wide.

Yate Town Reserves have had a huge change in personnel after their manager left a few weeks ago. Out has gone most of the team that has played the majority of the games this season with their youth team having to fill the void. Their visit to Frampton United saw the team get off to a poor start after Frampton United put five past their defence with Yate unable to reply. Frampton went ahead on eight minutes from a Lee Driver-Dickerson free kick delivered into the box and headed home by Steve Jackson. A second goal on fourteen minutes came from a Karl Palmer corner volleyed home by Michael Attwooll-Smart. Frampton increased their lead in the forty eighth minute, again it was Steve Jackson driving the ball into the bottom corner after receiving a great through ball from Karl Palmer. Yate were unlucky not to pull a goal back on the hour mark as James Kenway saw his twenty yard free kick rebound off the crossbar. Frampton went further ahead in the seventy eighth minute from a bad clearance by the Yate keeper that fell nicely for Chris Fower to net from twenty yards. Fower rounded the scoring off in the eighty second minute but following the goal there was some altercation between some of the home players and the visitors resulting in Frampton’s Steve Jackson being dismissed.

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