THE BULLETIN

8th December 2019
Number 19

Midweek Action

Two goals from Jack Fillingham helped fire Shepton Mallet to a 4-2 victory over Buckland in the Premier Division on Tuesday night. Fillingham’s first goal midway through the first half put the home side two-up following Tyrone Tucker-Dixon’s eighth minute effort, before Richard Groves pulled a goal back from the spot. Shepton restored their two-goal advantage just before the break, with Buckland hitting back once more when Lloyd Gardner’s corner was met by a powerful headed finish from Kai Fisher. With the away side pushing hard for a late equaliser, Shepton were awarded a penalty from a breakaway, and Fillingham beat the keeper to wrap up all three points. At Fairfax Park, Keynsham capitalised on an early red card to claim a 1-1 draw against Bridgwater Town. The home side made a great start to the game, and after Jack Taylor was brought down in the area, Jake Llewellyn scored his 21st consecutive penalty to make it 1-0. Just a couple of moments later, Dave Pearse was given a straight red card to reduce the hosts to ten men, and Keynsham managed to get level just before half-time thanks to captain Michael Grist. Bridgwater pushed hard after the interval, but were unable to break down the resolute K’s defence, setting up Saturday’s reverse fixture perfectly. In a crucial basement battle, Chipping Sodbury Town defeated Odd Down 2-1 to gain ground on their relegation rivals, with Dan Brown and Jack Parker both scoring in the opening 15 minutes. 24 hours later, Cadbury Heath secured their first win in eight matches, defeating Roman Glass St George 2-1 at Springfield.

Tuesday’s First Division clash at Shellards Road very much went with the form guide, as Longwell Green Sports defeated Hengrove 3-0. Goals from Connor Britton, Luke Bryan and Ali Bamford fired Longwell Green to their eighth consecutive league victory, handing them ownership of top spot. On Wednesday, Warminster followed up their impressive recent cup victories with a 3-1 win over last season’s runners-up Cheddar. Goals from James Vincent and Francois Allen handed the hosts a two-goal lead at the interval, with Vincent then doubling his tally during the second half, prior to a late consolation for Cheddar. In the other fixture that night at the Aitchison Playing Field, Oldland Abbotonians and Portishead Town shared the points following a 1-1 draw.

Cribbs qualified for the semi-finals of the Gloucestershire Challenge Cup following a dramatic penalty victory away at Cinderford Town. First half goals from Jacob Hodgson and Jake Slocombe put Cribbs two goals to the good, before Cinderford hit back, and after Jarrod Welch equalised for the hosts in the 89th minute, the same man then struck again in the sixth minute of stoppage time to complete the three-goal turnaround. Incredibly, Cribbs managed to find time to equalise at the death, sending the game to penalties, where they eventually prevailed 8-7 following nine spot kicks apiece. Bridport were knocked out of the Dorset Senior Cup at the quarter-final stage, and suffering a 4-2 defeat away at Verwood Town. On Wednesday, an experienced Swindon Town outfit were much too strong for Westbury United, with Scott Twine and Adam May each scoring twice during their 7-0 win in the Wiltshire Premier Shield quarter-final. In the first round of Les Phillips Cup, Exmouth Town overturned an early deficit to beat Plymouth Parkway 4-1. The away side made an excellent start to the game, leading after seven minutes thanks to Antonio Costa, but a trio of red cards and a sin bin saw them unravel, with Ben Steer, Jordan Harris and Mark Lever all finding the back of the net to help Exmouth progress.  

Premier Division

Bradford Town laid down an early marker ahead of their FA Vase meeting, after they snuck a 1-0 win over Buckland. The Bobcats have now won six games on the bounce away from Trowbridge Road following their latest triumph, with a goal from Will Hailston leading them past a resolute Buckland side. Things proved to be a little simpler for Tavistock, who scored four first half goals on their way to a 7-1 thumping of Brislington. Following 23 goalless minutes, the game came to life, with Jordan Annear and Josh Grant scoring in quick succession to put the away side two-up. Neikell Plummer then pulled a goal back for Brislington, but they conceded twice more, firstly to Grant and then to Jack Crago to trail by three at the interval. Tavistock continued pressing during the second half, adding three further goals thanks to Dan Evans, Callum Watson and the prolific Crago. High-scoring away victories seemed to be common place on Saturday, with Clevedon and Shepton Mallet both prevailing by 5-0 scorelines. Archie Ferris was the standout performer for Clevedon, bagging a hat-trick during his side’s victory over Cribbs, with a Zach Drew long ranger adding some gloss to the final score during the second half. Wellington were on the wrong side of Shepton’s big win, with a pair of Daryl Charman headers leading the visitors to a two-goal lead at the interval. The second half was all about Jack Fillingham, with the Mallet forward scoring a brace to extend his team’s advantage to four, before he laid on the assist for Joe Morgan who completed the scoring in the closing stages.

Roman Glass St George picked up their first league win since late October, coming back from an early deficit to defeat Bitton 3-1. The shell-shocked hosts fell behind in the opening minute of the game when Matt Groves fired home, but managed to get back on level terms when Ryan Radford struck from the penalty spot after he had been fouled in the box. A Troy Simpson goal then handed Roman Glass a 2-1 half-time lead, with Liam Harding scoring the fourth and final goal of the game 20 minutes from time. Plymouth Parkway survived a slight scare at home to Bridport, with top scorer Adam Carter striking twice during their 3-1 win at Bolitho Park. The hosts made a strong start, and led after just 17 minutes when Craig Duff headed home from a corner. Struggling Bridport then managed to get level on the half-hour mark through Tony Pinder, but that goal seemed to kick-start Parkway back into life, with Carter scoring a quick-fire double at the end of the first half to wrap up victory. Exmouth Town’s formidable defensive record shows no sign of letting up, after they battled out a goalless draw with Hallen. The Devon side have conceded just seven goals from their 12 league fixtures, while Hallen will be pleased to have become the first away side to claim any points away at Exmouth this season. In the day’s early kickoff, Jake Brown’s 8th minute goal handed Bridgwater a 1-0 win away at Keynsham, while a pair of Leighton Thomas efforts saw Street secure a 2-1 victory over Chipping Sodbury Town. At Meadow Lane, Cadbury Heath registered back-to-back league wins for the first time this season, with Enis Akgun playing a starring role in their 2-0 victory over Westbury. Akgun started by handing the visitors a 31st minute lead, before he then provided the assist for Ben Allen who made it 2-0 during the final ten minutes of the contest. 

First Division

Radstock Town have won five of their last six in the league, after beating Bishop Sutton 5-1 on Friday evening. The first half was a quiet affair, with Jack Biddiscombe’s header all that separated the sides at the Southfields Rec. Radstock then came to life after the break, with Morgan Marsh and Morgan Skipp putting them three goals to the good, before the visitors pulled one back. Top scorer James Rustell fired home a penalty to get Radstock back on track, with substitute Rico Sobers then adding a fifth ten minutes from time. Calne Town are now three points behind top spot after relinquishing a two-goal half-time lead on their way to a 3-2 defeat away at Ashton & Backwell United. After Jake Allen had put the Lilywhites in front, Aaron Witchell’s looping header towards the end of the first half gave his side a commanding position with 45 minutes left on the clock. The home side stormed back into the contest after the break however, and after halving the deficit through Jacob Spence, they then struck twice in the final seven minutes through James White and Joe Bishop to complete a memorable comeback. 

Calne’s late collapse allowed Longwell Green Sports to extend their lead atop the division, after they claimed a 2-2 draw away at Sherborne Town. The result ended Longwell Green’s nine-match winning run, but they will be happy enough, having trailed at the interval. A 12th minute goal had put the away side in front, but Sherborne hit back, and after Alex Murphy had levelled the scores, Joe Smith then scrambled the ball home in the closing stages of the first half. The league leaders started strongly in the second period, and managed to grab an equaliser five minutes after the restart, with neither side able to make further inroads. Saturday’s early kickoff saw Devizes pick up a much needed three points, scoring four second half goals to defeat Bristol Telephones 5-2 at Nursteed Road. Having seen Ali Bradley’s early opener cancelled out, Town restored their lead nine minutes into the second half thanks to a Chris Allen spot kick. Matt Swann then made it 3-1 just after the hour mark, with Bradley’s second of the game putting the result beyond doubt. The bottom side struck again during the final 20 minutes, but it was Devizes who had the last word, with Jordan Anning adding a late fifth to lead them to their first league victory since the 21st of September. Bishops Lydeard had a dream performance away at fifth-placed Wincanton, with Charlie Hebditch’s double helping propel them to a thumping 6-1 victory. There were further goals from Charlie Wilson, Ryan Brereton, Mark Clunie and Jake Quick during the one-sided win, with Ryan Biss getting on the scoresheet for Wincanton during the opening 20 minutes. Hengrove brought their winless run to an end, after Will Harvey’s first goal for the club fired them to a 1-0 win at home to recent cup heroes Warminster Town. There were also a pair of tight contests at West Clewes and the Southbank Ground, where Welton and Almondsbury, and also Corsham and Cheddar drew 0-0. Portishead Town put a little bit more distance between themselves and the bottom two after beating Lebeq 3-2, giving them their first home victory in exactly three months. 

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