Rugby Town 1 Clevedon Town 2
Clevedon Town travelled to Warwickshire to play Rugby Town and came away from Butlin Road with a 2-1 victory to give them their second league double of the season and guarantee Southern League Premier Division football for next season.
Josh Brigham returned to the starting line up from suspension, but Mike Trought failed a late fitness test and his place was taken by Geraint Bater.
With a strong cross-wind making conditions difficult, Rugby were first into their stride forcing a routine save from Danny Greaves in the 15th minute and going close again minutes later when a Greavsie fumble was hacked clear. Clevedon finally got into the game on 23 minutes when Kris Leek played Kerry Morgan through with a perfect pass that beat the offside trap and the on-loan Swansea striker beat Rugby’s keeper Richard Anstiss only to see his shot bounce back agonisingly off the post, where Mitchell Page was unable to turn in the rebound. Fifteen minutes later Rugby’s Neil King went on a mazy run from midfield and put in a good shot which Danny Greaves saved.
On 39 minutes a Kris Leek free kick deep into the box was punched out by Anstiss only as far as Josh Brigham on the edge of the box, who’s return shot was blocked by Stefan Morley and it looped over everybody, with wind assistance, to bounce off the top of the bar. However, the resultant corner was whipped in by Geraint Bater and Josh Brigham applied the glancing header to put The Seasiders one up just before half time.
Rugby came out fired-up for the second half and Kieran Fitzharris was immediately put through one-on-one with Greavsie, who made a fabulous stop with his legs. Three minutes later the same player hit another goalbound shot that produced an even better save by Danny. The Valley continued to apply pressure with a series of free kicks around the edge of the box, which were well defended by The Seasiders, until they surprisingly substituted danger man Fitzharris. On 62 minutes a curling Craig Loxton free kick was saved low down by the post by Anstiss. On 65 minutes Kris Leek worked hard to win the ball and was fouled, but the referee Mark Perry from Sutton Coldfield waved play-on and Craig Loxton was able to find Mitch Page on the edge of the box, where he beat his marker and hit a low shot into the corner and under the keeper to put Clevedon into a 2-0 lead.
Rugby continued to work hard to get back into the game and freshened things up with a double substitution on 68 minutes. Nine minutes later The Valley won yet another free kick on the edge of The Seasiders’ box, and one of their subs, David Staff, stepped up to hit a fierce rising that flew into the top corner of the net to reduce Rugby’s arrears. Although the home side continued to push for the equaliser, the Clevedon defence, superbly marshalled by Scott and Hendy, stood firm to record another victory at their favourite hunting ground, and leave Rugby looking over their shoulders near the foot of the table.
Gallery
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Brigham | 1 | |
| 3 | Haines | ||
| 4 | Scott (Capt) | ||
| 5 | Hendy | ||
| 6 | Bater | ||
| 7 | Loxton | ||
| 8 | Leek | ||
| 9 | Page | 1 | |
| 10 | Bassett | ||
| 11 | Morgan | ||
| 12 | Sylvester | 11 | |
| 14 | Prosser | 15 | |
| 15 | Symons | 10 | |
| 16 | Thorne | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 29/03/08 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division |
| Opponents: | Rugby Town |
| Venue: | Butlin Road Rugby Warwicks CV21 3ST |
| Half Time: | 1 - 0 |
| Full Time: | 2 - 1 |
| Attendance: | 232 |
| Match Report: | Dave Wright |
| Photographs: | Tony Merrett |
Away Kit |
On-Site Recruitment Solutions Ltd |
| Notes: |
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |