THE BULLETIN

10th November 2019
Number 15

Midweek Action

On Tuesday evening, Ryan Bath fired Bitton through to the third round of the FA Vase, with his second half hat trick the driving force behind a 4-0 win over Fairford Town. After Aysa Corrick had given the hosts a half-time lead, Bath took over the contest, with a late penalty helping him to complete his match-winning treble. The other tie that evening saw Roman Glass St George continue their excellent run of form, with Andy Gurney’s side coming from behind to beat Petersfield Town 2-1. The home side had led for much of the contest, with Harry Bedford putting them ahead in the 14th minute, only for Roman Glass to level things up ten minutes from time through Steve Fitzpatrick. Things then got even better for the Western League side who booked a date with Warminster in the next round thanks to Ryan Radford’s late winner.

The success carried on over into Wednesday, where a pair of penalties decided the contest between Bradford Town and Baffins Milton Rovers. Bradford made a wonderful start to the game, with leading marksman Gary Higdon volleying them ahead at Kendall Stadium in Portsmouth. The home side were handed an opportunity to level the scores soon after going behind, but Bradford keeper Dan Worton was up to the task, saving a spot kick to keep Rovers at bay. Baffins did finally beat Worton at the end of the first half to equalise, with Bradford’s Lewis Powell then heading the Western League side in front six minutes before the interval. Town were unable to hold out until the break however, and the frantic first half finally ended with the sides’ level at two apiece. That was how the scoreline remained for the next 45 minutes, but then in stoppage time, Bradford broke and won a penalty, which would give them a spot in the third round. Tyson Pollard was the man to step up, and in the ultimate pressure situation, Pollard was equal to the test, firing home to complete a night of drama. Bradford will be joined in the next round by Tavistock who gained revenge over Exmouth Town at Langsford Park. Having recently lost to their visitors in the league, Tavistock made a bad start under the floodlights, going behind in the opening minutes to an Ace High goal. The Lambs dominated the remainder of the game however, and led 3-1 at the interval thanks to a double from Jordan Annear, plus a goal from Jack Crago. Liam Prynn then extended the lead, before Josh Grant hit a late brace as Tavistock ran out comprehensive 6-1 victors to set up a tasty looking clash with Buckland at the end of the month. Elsewhere that evening, Westbury United defeated Bridport 4-0 in the Premier Division to condemn their visitors to a third straight defeat. Callum Demkiv opened the scoring after just 12 minutes, with Ryan Bole then doubling the lead just prior to half time. Westbury then mirrored their goalscoring performance after the interval, with Ricky Hulbert and Joe Stradling each finding the back of the net to complete the victory.

Les Phillips Cup

After agreeing to change the venue on the morning of the fixture, Tavistock were rewarded with a 4-0 victory over Calne. The Devon side were unable to host the tie, and instead travelled to Bremhill View to take on the First Division league leaders. After just five minutes, Tavistock went ahead with Jack Crago maintained his unbelievable record in cup competitions this season. Jordan Annear then scored for the second time this week to double the visitors first half advantage. It was a similar story after the break, with Josh Grant scoring Tavistock’s third, before Crago struck late on to complete the victory. Earlier in the week, Keynsham won 4-0 away at Bishops Lydeard thanks to goals from Matt Brown, Tom Knighton, Craig Wilson and Jordan Anstey.

Premier Division

Despite only two Premier Division ties going ahead, there was plenty of drama, with seven goals in each fixture. At Bolitho Park, Plymouth Parkway extended their winning run to four matches with a 5-2 triumph over bottom side Chipping Sodbury Town. It took a pair of special goals to give Parkway control of the game, with Jack Calver and Shane Krac each scoring from long range to make it 2-0 at the interval. The visitors played better after the break, and scored twice, but on both occasions, Parkway responded soon after with Calver and Krac each doubling their personal tallies. In the closing stages, Mikey Williams put the finishing touches to the home side’s victory, scoring their fifth to help them strengthen their position in the top two. It was very much a game of two halves at the Hand Stadium, where Clevedon relinquished a three-goal lead before claiming a 4-3 victory over Keynsham. Zach Drew was a major factor during the first half, and after supplying a pair of assists for Syd Camper, he then laid the ball off for Jay Murray to make it 3-0 to the hosts after just 26 minutes of action. Keynsham grabbed a lifeline three minutes after the break when Tom Knighton struck, with Stefan Lee then pulling them to within a goal midway through the second half. With 11 minutes remaining, Keynsham completed their comeback, with Jordan Anstey finding the back of the net for last season’s First Division champs. That wasn’t the end of the action however, and five minutes into stoppage time, Clevedon somehow found enough space and time to force home the winner, with Sam Iles proving to be the late hero.

First Division

With league leaders Calne in cup action, Longwell Green Sports were Saturday’s big winners, climbing to third following a 3-2 win at home to Corsham Town. Josh Bright was Corsham’s standout performer at Shellards Road, scoring two fantastic goals either side of the interval, twice putting his side ahead. However, Bright would end up on the losing side, with Sam Crumb scoring a brace of his own for the hosts, adding to a further goal from Eugene Keary for the victorious Longwell Green outfit. Radstock are now up in fifth spot, after a double from Morgan Skipp, plus a goal from leading scorer James Rustell led them to a 3-0 victory away at Ashton & Backwell United. The previously low-scoring Oldland Abbotonians came to life away at Lebeq United, scoring twice in either half to secure a 4-3 victory. Oldland hadn’t scored more than once since August, but that all changed in 45 minutes at Oaklands Park thanks in part to a first substitution. Having started the game on the bench, Owen McCallum made a significant impact for the away side, first squaring the ball for Liam Towler to put them ahead, before then scoring a goal of his own in the 44th minute to give his side a two-goal lead. Josh Dempsey extended the advantage three minutes after the break, before Lebeq stormed back into the contest thanks to a sub of their own. After joining the fray at half-time, Christian DaCosta scored twice to bring the home side back into the game, before Lebeq levelled affairs 17 minutes from time. There was some fortune to the winner, but the Abbots won’t complain, with a deflected free-kick from Russell Woodford finding its way into the Lebeq goal to hand the away side a dramatic stoppage time victory. Welton Rovers also won away from home, beating bottom side Bristol Telephones 3-1 at Stockwood Lane. Joe Garland headed Rovers ahead from a Sam Stoppard cross, with Scott Hatcher then doubling their advantage midway through the first half. Tosin Oyebola put the result beyond doubt in the 83rd minute prior to a consolation goal for the struggling Phones. Ill-discipline proved costly for Bishops Lydeard who fell to a 2-1 defeat away at Almondsbury. Lydeard made a dream start to the game, going ahead in the 22nd minute thanks to a stunning 30 yard strike from Amari Ruiz. The Almonds then gained a foothold in the contest, levelling the scores three minutes after the interval thanks to a left-footed finish from Henry Greenbury. Then, with Mark Clunie sitting in the sin-bin, Almondsbury took full advantage, going ahead for the first time when Ashley Knight found himself in the right place at the right time to make it 2-1. Any chance Lydeard had of making a comeback of their own were all but ended, when goalscorer Ruiz was dismissed ten minutes from time after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession.

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