Match Report
Bitton AFC 4 Clevedon Town 1
Clevedon Town, fielding five Youth squad players, crashed out of the Somerset Premier Cup 1-4 at the second hurdle at Bitton AFC.
After some frantic discussions just prior to the kickoff which resulted in Hanin Romhdane being withdrawn from the starting line-up as he was possibly cup-tied, the match kicked off with the visitors playing down the slope. They failed to take advantage, though, as Bitton took a 3-1 advantage into the half-time break through a hat-trick by striker Tom Knighton.
After a day of rain, a sodden pitch was further dampened by persistent drizzle which started soon after the kick-off. The Bitton marksman started his tally in the 23rd minute when a through ball was spilled by Clevedon custodian Danny Greaves and Knighton stole the ball for an easy tap-in. Clevedon responded immediately, surging forward from the restart and were rewarded with a penalty when Matt Rawlins was pulled down on the corner of the box. After some protest by the home players the Town front man picked himself up and coolly slotted the spot kick past home 'keeper John Rendell. Ten minutes later, another through ball from the Bitton midfield saw Knighton and Greaves challenging for the ball, this time Knighton was the winner and shot past the stranded 'keeper to restore the home side's lead. Greaves made up for his earlier error when he saved twice from Andy Parnell and recovered well when he spilled the greasy ball when saving from a cross by Danny Hallett, but after a headed shot cannoned off the post, Knighton completed his hat-trick, forcing the ball home after a goalmouth scramble from the resulting cross.
In the second half, the heavens relented and Bitton, understandably, protected their lead. Clevedon had chances to reduce the arrears through Rawlins, Danny Haines and a couple of attempts by Tom Jacobs, the second after a rasping shot from left back Ben Stanley was blocked by a Bitton defender, but their accuracy was not there. Bitton put the result beyond doubt in the 65th minute when a shot by John Pugsley was drifting wide, but cannoned off the head of Jacobs past the despairing dive of Greaves. Amongst several Bitton attempts on goal was a shot which got past 'keeper Greaves but was cleared off the line by Captain of the day Mike Trought.
The final whistle brought the Seasiders' journey in the Somerset Premier Cup to an abrupt halt, but also the relief that none of the first team players had suffered injury ahead of the big game on Saturday. Lots of praise for the Youth team contingent, who played well on the night and were never over-awed by the occasion, particularly full backs James Miller and Ben Stanley, and defender Lee Pierce, before he suffered a late knock. Adam Hardy and Ollie Beasley also contributed well.
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Miller | ||
| 3 | Stanley | ||
| 4 | Hardy | ||
| 5 | Trought (Capt) | ||
| 6 | Pierce | ||
| 7 | Haines | ||
| 8 | Beasley | ||
| 9 | Rawlins | 1(p) | |
| 10 | Jacobs | ||
| 11 | Sheppard | ||
| 12 | - | ||
| 14 | Page | ||
| 15 | Scott | 6 | |
| 16 | - | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 08/11/06 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | Somerset Premier Cup Second Round |
| Opponents: | Bitton AFC |
| Venue: | Bath Road Bitton BS30 6HX |
| Half Time: | 1 - 3 |
| Full Time: | 1 - 4 |
| Attendance: | 75 |
| Match Report: | Jeff Eastmond |
| Photographs: | - |
| Notes: |
|
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |