Clevedon Town 2 Bedford Town 1
Clevedon welcomed fellow mid-table side Bedford Town to The Hand Stadium for their very first match with the Eagles, and it was the Seasiders who came back from a goal down to take all three points in competitively fought match.
Mike Trought, Danny Haines and Skipper Rob Scott all came through late fitness tests to be included in the starting line-up, Steve Cook and Matt Prosser headed up the foward line.
Bedford Town played the first 20 minutes of the first half looking the more confident and positive than their hosts, with some fine possession and passing play, Striker Michael Lyon found himself one-on-one with with Danny Greaves in the 14th minute… the Seasiders custodian closed the striker down and a great attempt on goal just went over the bar much to the relief of the home supporters, five minutes later and Lyon was involved again, when his dangerous right-wing cross rifled across the penalty area, this time it was Steve Gentle who just failed to connect with the ball. With 25 minutes played Clevedon started to get into their stride with Danny Haines making a great solo run and shot on goal which narrowly went high of the top corner, on the half hour Steve Cook found himself one-on-one with the visiting keeper but his shot deflected of Andrew Stevens leg for a corner.
In the 37th minute Clevedon were controversially denied a penalty when Danny Haines goal-bound shot was clearly handled by defender Rob Miller, Bristol Referee Stephen Robbins waived play-on much to the astonishment of both sets of supporters, on the stroke of half-time Eagles James Hatch completely miss-kicked in front of goal after a great through ball from Michael Lyon and the half ended 0-0.
Both sides went in search of an early goal at the start of the second half... Christian Sylvester broke through the visitors defence in the 48th minute, but no one was able to take advantage of his early cross, a minute later and Danny Greaves pulled off a great blocking save to deny Stuart Sinclair’s rasping drive on goal, however, the deadlock was finally broken by the visitors in the 55th minute, when Stuart Sinclair picked up the ball on the left-wing and his diagonal cross found the goal after going in off the far-post.
The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 58th minute, when Christian Sylvester was adjudged to have brought down Craig Grieve in a crowded penalty area, Rob Miller stepped up to double the visitors lead, but his powerful shot was superbly saved by Danny Greaves. This was the turning point for Clevedon as it lifted their spirits as they went in search of equaliser.
Manager Phil Bater made a triple substitution in the 65th minute by bringing on Page, Bassett and Symons, for Prosser, Trought and Cook, the change up-front had an instant effect with Kyle Bassett causing all sorts of problems for the visiting defence, a series of 3 forced corners saw Clevedon equalise in the 70th minute, when Geraint Bater’s corner found substitute Mitchell page who smashed home from six yards. The winner came five minutes later when Bater’s free-kick again found Mitchell Page who scored with a overhead-kick much to the jubilation of the home fans. After that the game fizzled out as Clevedon were content to hold onto their narrow lead and all three points.
Man-of-the-Match deservedly goes to Danny Greaves who pulled off a fantastic penalty save and, made some great stops throughout the game. His efforts contributed towards Clevedon moving above their visitors to 8th in the league table.
Gallery
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Green | ||
| 3 | Haines | ||
| 4 | Bater | ||
| 5 | Hendy | ||
| 6 | Trought | ||
| 7 | Leek | ||
| 8 | Scott (Capt) | ||
| 9 | Prosser | ||
| 10 | Cook | ||
| 11 | Sylvester | ||
| 12 | Page | 9 | 2 |
| 14 | Bassett | 6 | |
| 15 | Symons | 10 | |
| 16 | Brigham | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 15/12/07 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division |
| Opponents: | Bedford Town |
| Venue: | The Hand Stadium Davis Lane Clevedon North Somerset BS21 6TG |
| Half Time: | 0 - 0 |
| Full Time: | 2 - 1 |
| Attendance: | 204 |
| Match Report: | Steve Webb |
| Photographs: | Tony Merrett |
| Match Sponsor: | - |
| Match Ball Sponsor: | - |
| Notes: |
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |