News and Match Reports

30th November 2019 - Sharpness win late at Rockleaze Rangers

Ron Holpin

Rockleaze Rangers in fourth place played host to Sharpness lying in third place on a very cold afternoon but dry. The league had linked up with the GFA to stage the FA Rainbow Laces campaign with both Clubs and Match Officials taking part.

Both sides played some excellent football throughout the game with both defences having outstanding games. The first chance fell to the visitors in the 12th minute when Mike Perham fouled Will Lacey two yards outside the box and in the middle of goal, the initial free kick struck the wall and from the rebound Will lacey skied the ball over the bar. A minute later Sam Strickland had half a chance but his effort went wide. On 20 minutes Alex Gayner tried his luck form distance but keeper Lewis Brodie was right behind it. Rangers first shot on goal came from Nick Jones in the 23rd minute but it was not strong enough to beat the shark’s keeper Dan Hobbs. At the other end Will Lacey’s free kick went straight into the arms of Brodie. On 34 minutes the Shark’s took the lead with a good break down the right by Dan Gayner whose low cross into the six-yard box was turned past Brodie by brother Alex Gayner. Rangers levelled the score right on half time when Hobbs brought Dan Webb down in the box and the striker then slotted the resulting spot kick into the Sharpness net.

43 seconds into the second half a long ball out of defence by Rangers saw Dan Webb outpace the Sharpness defence hit a great shot on goal that had keeper Dan Hobbs acrobatically pushing the ball away it would definitely have gone in. Rangers started to gain more possession in the second half and on 79 minutes had a good chance to take the lead after Hobbs saved the initial shot it was clipped back into the middle but Ollie Woolland lift his shot way over the bar. On 83 minutes Rangers had a free kick out wide on the left, it was curled in by George Holland with keeper Hobbs just managing to tip it onto the post and it was cleared. The game went into added time and in the 5th minute a long ball punted up field by Hobbs was picked up by Dan Gayner who struck the ball on goal – Brodie saved but it rebound straight back to Gayner who smashed the ball home to win the game for Sharpness 2-1.

Hanham Athletic came back from being a goal down to take the three points against Quedgeley Wanderers. All the action seemed to happen in the first 45 minutes. Hanham’s Jamie Fry had his shot well saved by Wanderers keeper Nathan Charnock in the 2nd minute of the game. Then after 14 minutes Wanderers struck, Josh Wilson was put clear on goal miss-hit his shot but somehow still finished up in the back of the Hanham net. In the next few minutes all that changed firstly Connor Hartley’s good work was finished off by George Cryer on 16 minutes and just a minute later Cryer grabbed his second with a great shot from just inside the box. In the second half Quedgeley had a very good chance to level but a double save from home keeper Max Heaven kept the home side in front. Nathan Payne had troubled the home defence on several occasions and Heaven saved well from an effort by the Wanderers striker near the end to eventually see his side over the line.

In the local derby Patchway Town v Little Stoke the home side recorded their second win of the season with two late goals. Little Stoke got off to a good start and took the lead on 12 minutes when Ethan Moore raced down the wing cut in from the left unleashed a great shot that struck the upright rebounded to Blaine Skuse to fire past Burgess. On 14 minutes Patchway’s Joe Dalby saw his shot on goal well saved by the Stoke keeper. Right on half time Little Stoke’s Blake Lakatos struck the crossbar from a free kick. On 57 minutes Dalby had a great chance to level for the home side after good work from Jessie Hudson and Phil Vice had set the chance up. On 60 minutes Little Stoke were awarded a penalty when Phil Vice brought Blaine Skuse down in the box, Stuart Nelson took the spot kick but keeper Sam Burgess guest right and made a great save to keep his side in the game. On 70 minutes Patchway levelled the score after Mike Bojske put Jessi Hudson through on goal and his shot from the edge of the box crept into the bottom corner. 5 minutes later the home side were delighted when Hudson netted a second from a Josh Morris cross for a 2-1 win.

A 3-3 draw at Ruardean Hill Rangers whose opponents today were Bromley Heath United. The home side went ahead after 8 minutes Charlie Mason driving home from 20 yards after the original shot from Steve Coombs rebounded off the crossbar. United’s Jack Withey had a great chance to level but shot over the bar in the 15th minute. Mason missed a great chance to put the home side two up after Luke Brown had set him up. The home side took a 2-0 lead on 19 minutes Luke Brown smashing the ball home after an assist from Luke Johnson. On 30 minutes United’s Jack Withey headed over the top from a good cross into the box. Following that miss United’s Tom Sheppard brought off two great saves from Luke Johnson and Stewart Cornwall-Boot to keep his side in the game. On 65 minutes a header from Liam Cann pulled a goal back for the visitors but just 2 minutes later Luke Brown went on a 35-yard mazy run before smashing the ball home for a 3-1 lead. Sheppard then made another great save on 70 minutes this time denying Steve Coombs. The visitors kept going and were rewarded in the 76th minute when Joe Goss was put clear to fire past Underwood, then 4 minutes later they were level Jack Withey’s header making the final score 3-3.

A good result for Hardwicke who travelled to Gala Wilton, coming away with the 3 points with a 3-0 success. The home side never seemed to get going and it was Hardwicke who had a good chance to open the scoring on 25 minutes when they broke down the right with the cross into the box being met by Will Matthews but he steered his header over the bar. Just 5 minutes later Hardwicke took the lead, this time Will Matthews heading in a Richard Mansell cross. On 42 minutes they double their tally with Kiren Tracey nipping in to score. We then had to wait until the 89th minute for the third and final goal a brilliant individual piece of skill from Steve Bick who cheekily dinked the ball past the keeper.

25th November 2019 - Wick Manager has big plans

Simon Parkinson

MIKE Strawford is making no secret of his big plan for Wick this term – and he hopes club chiefs share his aspirations with equal appetite.

The Oldbury Lane outfit are out to reinforce their status at the head of the Marcliff Gloucestershire County League table when they entertain Henbury tomorrow (2pm).

Wick approach it holding a three-point lead over second-placed Frampton United having played a fixture more than the Bell Field battlers.

It’s a scenario too tight to call at this still-early stage of a campaign even Strawford believes could go right to the wire with no particular competitor racing away with it this time around.

Hardly surprisingly given that fact; the Wick manager is taking nothing for granted, despite the encouragement of their current lofty standing on the ladder.

Yet he was perfectly happy to state: "I want us to win promotion this season and hopefully the club is as ambitious as I am to achieve it.

"These chances don’t come around too often and I’m just hopeful we’ll soon be in a position to apply for the next level up.

"We’ll need to upgrade our facilities with hard standing, a stand and possibly floodlights along with other things. We’ll be looking into what precisely needs doing.

"I’m certainly ambitious: there’s no point us putting in all the effort on and off the field to get Wick where they are today simply to stand still. We would need more help on the committee so people can get in touch with Dave Beer or Matt Davis via our Facebook page if they want to be involved.

"Of course, it won’t be easy as there are a whole bunch of teams wanting to get to where we currently are such as Frampton, who are always up there gnawing away; Sharpness, who have taken to the new level really well and Rockleaze, who seem to be pushing on well again.

"And that’s not to mention others close behind them hanging on hard to our tails."

"Wick come into the Henbury contest seven days after seeing off league rivals Rockleaze 2-1 in a GFA Challenge Trophy first round away affair, which sets them up for a tough Saturday, December 14 home tussle with Hellenic Premier Division high-fliers Fairford Town.

"We deserved to beat Rockleaze but both sides dropped half their usual line-ups with other priorities in mind and the game had no real spark or tempo to it," Strawford observed.

"We did give a first start to our new holding midfielder Ben Payne, who we signed from Radstock Town, which was a plus.

"He’d impressed as a sub to help us win 3-2 at Gala Wilton in our previous game and for a young kid he looked really composed.

"Ben got a long leg on the end of a cross from close in to put us ahead at Rockleaze and Mike Hardiman came off the bench to win it for us late on after Rockleaze had equalised as we switched off from a ball played forward.

"It was a good response by the boys, though, and now we have Fairford who like us have a young squad mixed with older heads.

"It will be challenging for us but we’ll give it a good go."

The Wick leader stressed: "We’ve played better football in the past but we’re showing a lot of character to successfully get through games when things haven’t always gone our way.

"Now we have plenty of players on board and everyone is fighting for places and there’s a buzz about the place.

"We have just signed Nathan Goodwin-Worrell, a strong ball playing teenage centre-half from Lebeq.

"We’d been playing anyone and everyone back there with Ben Stiff nursing a hand injury and Dan Stephens unavailable, while our centre-forward Sam Thomas, who had been filling in at the back, injured a foot although he’s returned in his usual role,” explained Strawford, who could recall forward Danny Bendall to his ranks from a hamstring condition, although winger Ben Daniels remains sidelined with an ankle fracture.

23rd November 2019 - AEK Boco hit seven without reply

Ron Holpin

Patchway Town’s visit to AEK Boco ended in another heavy defeat going down 7-0 with hattricks from Boco players Jake Slocombe and Cory Langdon. Langdon pulled his effort in the 1st minute wide of the target and Patchway’s first attempt on goal in the 10th minute was a shot from Josh Morris that also was wide of the target. Boco went ahead on 15 minutes when Slocombe broke into the visitor’s box was challenged by keeper Sam Burgess who managed to deflect his shot but it ran clear and was sent over to the far post where Cory Langdon tapped into an empty net. Freddie Taylor-fox then had a long range shot well saved by Burgess but a few minutes later the home side went 2-0 up Slocombe netting after a mistake in defence by Patchway. On 27 minutes Langdon pipped Burgess to the ball to slide the ball in for a 3-0 lead. Patchway’s only real chance created in the first half came in the 37th minutes a shot from Mike Bojski that was well saved by keeper Kane Manning.

8 minutes into the second half Boco scored again with Slocombe getting the final touch from a shot from Cory Langdon. The visitors defence then stood still as Jake Slocombe just strolled past Burgess to side foot the ball home. Boco made a triple substitution on 64 minutes with Jake Slocombe having scored a hattrick being one of the players going off. Patchway did have a good chance to pull a goal back 70 minutes but Bojski’s header went just the wrong side of the post. Tommy Lacey one of the subs that came on then capitalised on another defensive mistake in the 88th minute to make it 6-0 and right on time Cory Langdon scored his third to make the final score 7-0.

Frampton United top the table on goal difference after their slender 1-0 win at Hardwicke. The first 15 minutes was a cagey affair and Matt Cook was unlucky when he struck the post. This seem to unsettle the home side and Frampton took the lead a few minutes later with a brilliant shot from Ryan Vincent that flew into the top corner. Hardwicke’s Jordan Dowdeswell’s cross into the box found Tobie Webb but he failed to hit the target after 25 minutes. Then on 35 minutes Webb had a great shot well saved by keeper Taylor. 5 minutes into the second half Steve Jackson struck the post with a 30-yard pile driver. On 55 minutes Hardwicke’s Kieran Squires had the ball in the Frampton net but it was ruled out for offside. Hardwicke try as they might could not break down a very resilient Frampton defence, but almost salvaged a point in the 85th minute but Will Matthews’s effort went just wide of the post.

Broadwell Amateurs are well pleased tonight after recording only their second win of the season a 1-0 success against today’s visitors Bromley Heath United. The home side applied the early pressure which paid dividends after 8 minutes from a Guy Jones corner the ball was flicked on at the near post by Greg Lewis and Steve Belfitt headed in from 6 yards. Another Guy Jones corner almost got them a second when Greg Lewis hit his shot well but it struck the upright. On 44 minutes Bromley’s Nathan Rose saw his 18-yard drive tipped over the bar by Ben Reed. Most of the second half was fairly even play from both sides until United’s Tomas Sheppard’s shot on goal was brilliantly saved by keeper Ben Reed. Both sides used all their subs in the second half, with Broadwell managing to hang on for the last 10 minutes keeping the visitors at bay.

Sharpness had to play for 58 minutes with 10 players against Gala Wilton after Brad Hewer had been sent off for a really bad tackle in the 32nd minute. The home side started well and Will Lacey broke from the halfway line but then shot wide in the 3rd minute. On 18 minutes a cross into the box by Lacey was headed away by the Gala defence but it fell to Alex Gayner whose fierce shot struck the post. Then came the incident with Hewer being dismissed and a few minutes later Gala’s Ryan Dobbins failed to control the ball and the chance to score went begging. Then the Sharks Tom Freeman had a chance from a free kick but hit it straight to the keeper. On 52 minutes home keeper Dan Hobbs save well from Gala striker Connor Harmer after he had got clear in the box. A minute later Tom Freeman’s shot was pushed over the bar by the Gala keeper. Sharpness thought they should have had a penalty in the 72nd minute but the referee said no. In the 74th minute a break down the right by Kieran Bryce-Ingles and a cross into the box was not dealt with by the home defence and Craig Howell gave Gala the lead. Sharpness were awarded an indirect free kick for foot to high with Fin Small’s shot taking a deflection but hit the post. The home side got a point from the game in the 89th minute when Fin Small was bundled over in the box and Dan Gayner netted from the spot kick.

Quedgeley Wanderers v Rockleaze Rangers ended in a scoreless draw but there were numerous chances created throughout the game. In the very first minute Lewis Brodie saved well to deny Josh Wilson. On 15 minutes a Ryan Webb cross was headed over by Jordan Rouse for the home side. Then in the course of 5 minutes Rangers keeper Brodie brought off three good saves to deny Nathan Payne. At the other end Rangers Sam Bailey should have scored but his effort went over the bar. Just before the break Brodie was in action again this time denying Joss Wilson a goal. Midway through the second half home keeper Nathan Charnock made two great saves from Rangers Dan Webb. Both Payne and Wilson had further chances for the home side but Brodie was there to deny them.

Little Stoke v Ruardean Hill Rangers was brought to a halt 5 minutes into the second half when Rangers Ricky Tingle suffered a serious injury which did not involve any other player on the pitch. The home side were winning 2-0 at the time.

18th November 2019 - Bromley Heath Manager wants game time

Simon Parkinson

HEARTENED boss Craig Britton is gearing his revitalised team up for an intriguing Gloucestershire FA Challenge Trophy bow tomorrow – but just wants more game time now for his inactive Bromley Heath United battlers.

The Pomphrey Hill hosts entertain Marcliff Gloucestershire County League basement rivals Broadwell Amateurs for a delayed first round encounter (2pm).

And they do so in good spirits following two back-to-back 1-0 and 3-2 successes respectively over leaders Wick and Quedgeley Wanderers, their first victories since joining the league as 2018-19 Bristol and Suburban League champions.

Eager to see that momentum maintained, Britton and Co have instead been forced to sit at home watching the weather do its worst, with consecutive scheduled fixtures with Sharpness, Hardwicke and AEK Boco all falling prey to the elements meaning not a single ball has been kicked in anger since that win over visiting Quedgeley almost a month back.

The Bromley leader reflected: "We’d won two on the bounce before suddenly being stopped in our tracks. In fact four of our last five fixtures since the win over Wick have been cancelled so it’s been a bit of a nightmare.

"It’s frustrating but what can you do about the weather? It seemed as though we’d finally adjusted to the demands of the higher league and turned a corner.

"It had started to feel like we belonged."

Until the turnaround Heath had lost their first six league and cup games and Britton conceded: "Our game management wasn’t really up to scratch and the physicality of the league caught us out a bit. Player availability was also an issue.

"We’ve since signed a couple of players and others have come back in, so I have more of a selection headache. Before it had been a case of going with what we had.

"Our two latest signings – Jay Malpas (central midfield) and Dan Fowler (winger) – have made an impact and getting Josh Slater back from America has been a bonus as he’s a tricky winger who had been with us over several years, the type which likes to run at players and score goals."

Britton enthused: "Beating Wick for our first win was very satisfying as they’re a good and established local side we knew a bit about. They’ve been the best team I’ve seen since we joined the County League. We ground it out and showed good character to win with the only (Jack Withey) goal.

"Against Quedgeley we were 3-0 up but got a bit nervous towards the end when they scored twice to keep us all on our toes.

"It’s positive all round as our reserves are picking up points and our young A team are finding their feet in senior football, both performing well in the Suburban League."

With County League compatriots Gala Wilton poised to take on the winners of the Bromley-Broadwell tie at home in the second round of the Challenge Trophy on December 14, Britton said: "We feel we have a chance of progressing in the competition although we know Broadwell won’t be easy opponents.

"We don’t know a lot about them other than they’re in the bottom three with us. But I’d expect them to be organised and hardworking, as all County League teams are.

"We’ve never played in this competition before although we have been involved in other county cups down the years and reached a few semi-finals," added Britton, remains without injured trio Tom Sheppard (keeper), George Foyle (centre-back) and Mitch Greenaway (striker).

AEK Boco are also in GFA Trophy action tomorrow and a tough test it’s likely to be too at home against reigning, and unbeaten, Bristol Premier Combination champions Cribbs Reserves.

Also in first round action are Rockleaze Rangers who themselves face a stiff examination of their credentials at home against pacesetting County League rivals Wick.

In the league, Little Stoke host Hanham Athletic and Patchway Town entertain Hardwicke.

All games kick off at 2pm.

16th November 2019 - Gala Wilton held by Quedgeley Wanderers

Ron Holpin

Gala Wilton had to come from behind twice to salvage appoint against today’s visitors Quedgeley Wanderers. The home started well and had a couple of early chances but on both occasions the efforts went wide. On seventeen minutes Ryan Dobbins should have scored but missed kicked his shot that had just been cleared off the line by Wanderers. Wanderers had to make a substitution on twenty minutes Henry Birkett leaving the field after trying to run off an injury he picked up earlier in the game with Josh Wilson taking his place. In the twenty forth minute Wilson latched onto a ball that put him clear on goal but Gala keeper Lewis Skyers brought him down in his attempt to take the ball and Louis Peyton put Wanderers ahead from the penalty spot. With both sides continuously giving the ball away to each other it wasn’t until the forty third minute before we saw another effort on goal and it came from Wanderers Dorian Colling that Skyers did well to push away for a corner.

At the start of the second half Martin Smith had a great chance but shot wide following a corner. Gala were pushing Wanderers hard and some great defending by the visitors denied then levelling the score. In the fifty-sixth-minute Peter Boyle blasted over the bar following a corner when he might have scored. Just three minutes later after a great move down the right with Brad Loveridge send the ball across to the near post and Ryan Dobbins neatly turned the ball past keeper Nathan Charnock. Following that goal Charnock then turned a Craig Howell shot over the bar. Wanderers retook the lead on seventy-seven minutes from a good move down the right and a great cross in from Josh Wilson for Nathan Payne to drive past Skyers. Wanders almost gat a third when Louis Peyton chipped the ball past Skyers but it struck the upright. Another good effort from Craig Howell was again saved by Charnock. On eighty-seven minutes the home side squared the game for a second time the ball coming back into the box after Charnock had made a good save from Dobbins but this time Martin Smith headed in to make it 2-2. Wanderers went down to ten men right at the end when Dorian Colling was sent off for a bad foul.

Frampton United move into second place after a 4-0 win at home to Ruardean Hill Rangers. A couple of chance in the first half with Nathan Dennis having an effort on target cleared of the line early on and Fraser Wilson’s long-range shot being pushed around the post on thirty-eight minutes. Fin Blythe opened the scoring in the fiftieth minute with a twenty-five-yard shot that flew into the top corner. Rangers had a great chance to level from the penalty spot but keeper Aaron Taylor brought of a great save to deny Luke Johnson. Frampton got a second when Rangers keeper brought down Ryan Ford and Ryan Vincent scored from the spot. On seventy-Two minutes Stuart Maule sent a defence splitting pass through the Rangers defence for Ryan Vincent to make it 3-0. It turned into four on eighty-six minutes when Nathan Dennis scrambled the ball home from a free kick.

Little Stoke are up to fifth place after a 4-0 defeat of Hanham Athletic. The home side went in front on three minutes when Ethan Moore headed in an Andy Criddle cross. The home side went 2-0 up on twenty-two minutes Stu Mason firing home from twenty yards after he picked up a poor clearance from the Hanham keeper. Two more goals in the second half the first on seventy-seven minutes Blake Lakatos capitalising on a mistake in the Hanham defence and Luke Meacham picking up a bad back pass to round the keeper and run the ball into the net. The visitors only had to efforts on goal the first a twenty-yard shot that was pushed over the bar in the first half and in the second half a shot on goal that took a deflection onto the post and straight back into the keepers’ arms.

Bottom Club Patchway Town suffered another heavy defeat again this week going down six – two to Hardwicke at home. Joe Dalby had given them an eight-minutes lead when the visitors keeper spilled the ball and Dolby slotted home. Unfortunately, the game probably swung in favour of Hardwicke on twenty-five minutes when Patchway had Dan Cockram dismissed, although they went into the break with a 1-0 lead. In the forty sixth minute Kieran Squires scrambled the ball over the line to level the score for Hardwicke, then on fifty-five minutes Tobie Webb turned in a cross from the right to give them the lead. Five minutes later Will Matthews broke clear to make it 3-1 and then on sixty-five minutes Will Higgins turned in the fourth. Patchway got a second on sixty-seven minutes when Lewis Toop netted from a free kick just outside the box. The pressure from Hardwicke was relentless and Will Matthews netted his second on eighty-eight minutes and two minutes into time added James Ratcliffe scored number six.

GFA Challenge Trophy Round 1

Rockleaze Rangers go out after losing 2-1 at home to Wick. The only real action in the first half was a shot from Rangers Joe Weare that hit the crossbar although Wick had most of the possession. Wick took the lead on fifty-two minutes Ben Payne stabbing the ball in at the far post from a long cross. A couple of minutes later home keeper Lewis Brodie brought off a fantastic save to deny Payne getting a second. Then Brodie tipped a Max Barker shot over the bar on seventy minutes. Joe Martin-Tulloch missed a great chance for Rangers chipping the ball over the bar. Rangers did manage to level the score on eighty-six minutes when Nick Jones fired home after a goalmouth scramble. Wick won the game with a very late goal put away by Mike Hardiman.

Bromley Heath United go through on penalties after a 2-2 draw with Broadwell Amateurs. United went ahead on twenty-eight minutes when Nathan Rose sent along ball out to Joe Goss who neatly slipped the ball through for Tom Shopland to head home. United had several more good chances but were denied by some good goalkeeping from Broadwell’s Ben Read. United did get a second just before the break through Nathan Rose. In the second half. Broadwell hit back and on seventy minutes Dan Brain scored from the edge of the box. The visitors then levelled from the penalty spot on seventy-eight minutes Kristian Burnard was brought down in the box and then slotted home the penalty. United won the penalty shootout 5-4.

AEK Boco also went out on a penalty shootout after drawing 3-3 with Cribbs Reserves. Cory Langdon burst through after four minutes to give Boco the lead but Cribbs hit back with a strike from Liam Clayton on fifteen minutes. Jake Slocombe then put Boco back in front before Cribbs levelled again through Aaron Pullman. Substitute Tom Lacey restored the lead for Boco on seventy minutes only for Cribbs to level again in the eighty seventh minute with Liam Clayton netting his second. Cribbs won the game on penalties 4-2.

9th November 2019 - Sharpness hit Patchway for six

Ron Holpin

For the third Saturday running the weather conditions affected the fixture programme. Very heavy rain caused the postponement of the three fixtures in the South of the County whilst the four in the North of the County all went ahead.

Sharpness moved into second place in the table after hammering basement Club Patchway Town 6-0. The home side took three-minute lead when James Higgs pumped a long ball up to Will Lacey to run clear and drive the ball past the Town keeper. It went to 2-0 on twenty-two minutes from a corner that was headed away by the Patchway defence but Tom Freeman picked up the loose ball and sent it back in for Sam Strickland to hammer into the net. On thirty minutes Patchway’s Jack Byran’s shot from outside the box took a slight deflection and ended up hitting the crossbar. Three minutes into the second half the home side went 3-0 up when Ryan Ponting headed in from a corner. It went to 4-0 on fifty-five minutes when Brad Hewer sent Sam Strickland away to score his second of the afternoon. On seventy minutes Will Lacey got his second running from midfield to cheekily dink the ball over the on-rushing keeper. Dan Hobbs saved well from Patchway’s Kyle Ford with fifteen minutes to go. Sharpness wrapped up the scoring in the eightieth minutes when Brad Hewer broke from the halfway line to fire the ball past the visitor’s keeper. Patchway kept plugging away and a tremendous long-range effort from Ollie Bacon stuck the crossbar with just a couple of minutes left.

Frampton United were back in action today making the short trip to Quedgeley Wanderers and came away with an excellent 5-2 win. It was the home sides Nathan Payne who tested the Frampton keeper after six minutes but a minute later United were in front through Fraser Wilson. United went further ahead in the sixteenth minute from a Manolo Espada strike. In the twenty-sixth-minute home keeper Nathan Charnock brought off a good save to deny Frampton going three up. Then at the other end Nathan Payne went close for the home side. Five minutes before the break it was 3-0 to United Fin Blythe getting on the score sheet. Frampton could have extended their lead in the fifty fifth minute from the penalty spot but keeper Nathan Charnock brought off a great save. The home side pulled a goal back on the hour mark with a strike from Jordan Rouse to make it 3-1, but within five minutes Frampton’s Ethan Dunbar extended the lead to 4-1. With fifteen minutes to go Craig Mills scored a fifth Frampton goal, then in the eighty fifth minute Wanderers Jordan Rouse scored his second to make the final score 5-2.

Hardwicke continue to climb the table and moved up slightly today with an excellent 4-1 win over Ruardean Hill Rangers. On a slippery pitch they went ahead after fifteen minutes Will Higgins stabbing the ball in from Jordan Dowdeswell cross. Just minutes later Underwood saved well from another effort from Higgins pushing the ball well clear. James Ratcliffe used his pace down the wing before cutting in and unleashing a shot that Underwood tipped over the bar. Rangers scored a deserved equaliser on thirty-two minutes from a thirty-five-yard cross from Bobby Walding that was headed in by Shaun Tingle. Ratcliffe’s pace was giving the visitors a few problems as he raced into a scoring position again on forty minutes only to see his shot pushed over the bar again by Underwood. Rangers were reduced to ten men right on half time when Dan Matthews was sent off for a second yellow card offence. Two minutes into the second half the home side went into a two-one lead and it was Ratcliffe again slipping down the flank and crossing in for Will Higgins to score from ten yards. The home side made it three – one on seventy-five minutes when Toby Webb broke down the flank cut in and drove a fierce shot past Underwood. A couple of minutes later Ratcliffe saw his shot ricochet of the post and then Richard Mansell’s thirty-yard shot was well saved by Underwood. With just a couple of minutes left in the game Will Higgins sent in a cross for Will Matthews to finish off for a really good win.

Broadwell Amateurs are going through a bad time at present and were well beaten 4-0 by today’s visitors Little Stoke. Stoke took the lead on sixteen minutes when Luke Sperring headed in from a corner. Broadwell’s Liam Thomas’s long-range shot was well saved by the visitor’s keeper. Unfortunately, the home side made a dreadful mistake on thirty-nine minutes and Ethan Moore latched onto a very poor back pass to make it 2-0. There was little goalmouth action from either side in the second half until the eightieth minute when Broadwell had a good chance to score but Liam Thomas’s shot was well saved again by the Stoke keeper. In the eighty second minute Broadwell’s Alex Brown handled on the line and was sent off with Little Stoke having the chance to increase their lead from the penalty spot. Up stepped Khalil Lamir to fire the spot kick home. Then four minutes later the home side conceded a second penalty and Lamir netted from the spot for a second time.

4th November 2019 - Henbury Manager wants players to relax

Simon Parkinson

HENBURY co-boss Trevor Richards believes relaxation is the key to more consistent success for his team.

Whilst keen for his players not to lose their competitive edge, the observant Arnall Drive supremo says over-anxiety has all too often crept into Henbury’s game this term, a characteristic he reckons is costing them precious points in the fight to climb into the higher reaches of the Marcliff Gloucestershire County League table.

Richards remarked: "I just feel we get too keyed up at times. The lads can try too hard and that prompts individual and collective mistakes.

"My fellow manager Jason Tarr feels the same and it is frustrating at times and that goes for all of us as a group.

"We’re predominantly a collection of local lads, all mates, who can shout and bawl at each other and no one takes offence. There’s a great rapport amongst them and the football maybe means more because of it.

"The lads know where they’re going wrong and they’re trying hard to rectify it. And it’s not to do with ability – the talent is there without a doubt - or the systems we ask them to play.

"They just need to relax and play the football we know they can play and stop getting all worked up when thing aren’t going to plan.

"If they can get the mental side right they’ll play to their potential more and have us climbing up that table.”

For all that, the former Southmead CS Athletic co-boss is encouraged by recent performances and the club’s set-up as a whole.

"We lost 2-0 at Sharpness recently but things contrived to go against us and a draw would have been a fairer outcome,” Richards maintained.

"In our last game, with an ever-strong Frampton team at their place, we’d battered them before taking a late lead through George Loud’s quality finish into the top corner with his less-favoured left peg.

"George had just missed a penalty too so it was disappointing then to concede an equaliser to another penalty so late in the day, although there were no complaints about the award from us as Lewis Jefferies, a very good goalie who had been filling in for Cam Tarr due to his broken ankle, came out to try and deal with a 50/50 situation.”

Richards admits the departure of forward Dawid Regula to Toolstation Premier Division strugglers Bristol Telephones has been a "big loss.”

"He’s a lovely kid who joined us from Roman Glass at the start of the season,” he explained. "Give him an opportunity and he seldom misses.

"The whole team is gutted that’s he’s left but we understand his reasons for wanting to better himself at that level and he knows there’s always a place for him back here.”

Henbury are due to take on Rockleaze Rangers tomorrow on their ambitious opponents’ Hillside Gardens’ 3G.

Richards acknowledged: "They’re a lovely well-run club with a smashing chairman in Andy Myland and I always look forward to playing them and the banter.

"We played them on their new 3G pitch last season (lost 2-0) and found it tricky and hard to judge the bounce of the ball and hard underfoot. Older players are often reluctant to play on 3G surfaces as they know they’ll suffer two days later.

"It’s an advantage for teams used to training on them but it does mean games are hardly ever cancelled.”

Other scheduled fixtures see Bromley Heath hoping to build on their two recent first wins of life in the league at home to Hardwicke, while Hanham Athletic bid to put a five-game winless run behind them against lowly Vicarage Road guests Broadwell Amateurs.

Little Stoke and Patchway Town entertain AEK Boco and Quedgeley Wanderers’ respectively.

Big game of the day involves leaders Wick’s visit to confront second-placed Gala Wilton.

All County League games now kick off at 2pm.

2nd November 2019 - Rockleaze Rangers edge out Henbury

Ron Holpin

Another bad day with the weather but we did manage to get five of the seven fixtures scheduled played this week.

Rockleaze Rangers took the three points with a slender 1-0 victory over today’s visitors Henbury. Henbury had the better of the first 45 minutes and tried their luck with a series of long-range shots that either flew over the bar or wide of the target. Rangers only real effort on goal came in the 30th minute a free kick from Jake Hannan that clipped the top of the crossbar. Henbury’s Joe Cox brought the best out of home keeper Lewis Brodie with a shot that he acrobatically pushed over the bar right on half time.

Right from the start of the second half there seemed to be more determination from Rangers and a break down the left to the by-line by Joe Weare saw a nice cross pulled back to Dan Webb to slip the ball past keeper Lewis Jefferies. Webb brought Jefferies into action again with a very good shot on target but the keeper saved well. Sam Bailey then saw his effort just clear the Henbury bar and a minute later Webb was at it again making the Henbury keeper move to make the save. Henbury’s Joe Cox brought the best out of Brodie when he hit a speculative shot form 20 yards the keeper palming the ball over the bar. Henbury had a good chance to level in the 73rd minute when Brodie spilled a cross but somehow managed to save a point-blank shot with the ball running clear across goal and sent up field by the home defence. Davaughan Martin who had come on as sub for Henbury tested Brodie with a shot from the edge of the box on 86 minutes and a couple of minutes later Adam Rosser’s shot on target was well blocked by Brodie.

Patchway Town went into the break with a 2-1 lead but finished up losing 4-2 to today’s visitors Quedgeley Wanderers. Town took the lead on 11 minutes from a mix up in the Wanderers defence and Phil Vice intercepted a poor back pass rounded the keeper and tapped the ball into an empty net. Wanderers levelled on 34 minutes when Henry Birkett got to the by-line and cut the ball back to Dan Lander to slip the ball past Burgess. A stroke of fortune a minute before the break allowed Town to retake the lead. Another back pass saw the keeper attempt to clear but slipped and Josh Morris was on hand to stroke the ball home. Wanderers squared the game again on 58 minutes when Kyle James-Bryan struck the ball past Burgess from just inside the box. Henry Birkett who had been outstanding the whole game made it 3-2 on 65 minutes when he broke down the right then cut into the box and drove the ball past Burgess from twelve yards. To round things off Nathan Payne netted the fourth and final goal on 70 minutes. Quedgeley had two serious injuries during the game Dave Cummings had to go to hospital to have a serious cut to his head dealt with and James Thomas was also taken to hospital with a serious leg injury. Let’s hope both players recover well.

Ruardean Hill Rangers have got off to a bad start this season and went down 2-0 at home today to Sharpness. The visitors were first to strike with Dan Gayner having his shot well saved by keeper Aaron Underwood on 11 minutes. At the other end Shaun Tingles long range shot was deflected wide of the goal. Just on half time Sharpness’s Will Lacey hit the crossbar from a Dan Gayner cross. In the second half play remained fairly even until the 77th minute when Luke Johnson went down in the box but the penalty appeal was turned away. Sharpness then had the ball cleared of the line by Dan Mason. Then in the 85th minute the deadlock was eventually broken when Mason gave away a penalty and Dan Gayner scored from the spot kick. Rangers also lost Steve Coombs with a straight red card for protesting the decision. Bobby Walding was then sent to the Sin-Bin in the 88th minute leaving Rangers with nine players. In the 89th minute a long ball was sent into the Sharpness box by keeper Aaron Underwood it was cleared up field and Dan Gayner then ran the whole of the Rangers half to fire the ball past the retreating keeper to make it 2-0.

Top game today - Gala Wilton v Wick with Wick holding top spot and Gala in third place at the start of the day. Leaders Wick capitalised on a poor defensive mistake by the home side in the 14th minute and Sean Morris drove the ball into the net. Gala hit back to level in the 21st minute Martin Smiths squared the ball back for Craig Howell to drive home. Wick retook the lead in the 36th minute from a long goal kick that was flicked on to Jordan Scott whose shot struck the inside of the post on its way in. The home side found themselves trailing 3-1 when they lost the ball in midfield and Joe Thomas burst through to score. Gala did pull a goal back from a James Bowers free kick but they were unable to find the back of the Wick net again to level.

Little Stoke took the three points at home to AEK Boco with a 2-1 win. Luke Meacham gave Little Stoke the lead on 12 minutes with a 25-yard drive that keeper Mason Hawkins fumbled before it went over the line. Boco drew level on 70 minutes through Jason Thatcher’s whose thunderous drive took a slight deflection on its way into the Stoke net. With just 3 minutes to go Little Stoke grabbed the winner, Russ Church ran half the pitch before sending the ball out to Ethan Moore wide left and his cross into the box was met by Blaine Skuse to drill into the Boco net.