Clevedon Town 0 Team Bath 2
Clevedon welcomed table-topping Team Bath to a cold and windy Hand Stadium, and it was the well organised visitors who went away with all three points, after scoring two first half goals from Joe Arnold and Sami El-Abd.
Manager Phil Bater faced another pre-match selection juggling act with late fitness tests on key players. Mike Trought, Geraint Bater and loan striker Kerry Morgan all made it to the starting line-up and accompanied Matt Thorne who made his first appearance for the club.
Clevedon kicked off into a strong wind and it was Matt Thorne who had an early attempt on goal when his long range effort could only be parried by visiting keeper Jake Meredith. Both sides struggled in the windy conditions, but it was Team Bath who broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when Joe Arnold converted Ben Thomson’s corner from 6 yards out for what can be described as a soft goal.
The Seasiders defensive strategy ensured the Premier divisions top goal scorer Sean Canham had a quiet match, however, this strategy allowed fellow striker Joy Arnold some freedom to probe the home defence, and it was Arnold who should have doubled the visitors lead in the 25th minute, when he beat Clevedon’s off-side trap and raced goal bound, Danny Greaves was equal to the strikers lob on goal when he made a superb one handed save. However, the visitors doubled their lead a minute later when Marc Canham delivered a cross into a crowded penalty area for defender Sami El-Abd to strike home and make it 2-0.
Playing into the wind gave the visitors an advantage over their hosts and they nearly made it 3-0 with five minutes of the half remaining, when Joe Arnold went one-on-one with Danny Greaves, however Clevedon’s custodian came to the home sides rescue again, when he made a superb one handed save and turned the strikers shot around the post. The half ended with the visitors in control and Clevedon facing a difficult second half.
Manager Phil Bater made his first substitution at the start of the second-half with Mitchell Page replacing Matt Prosser. And it was the Seasiders who looked a lot more sharper than they did in the first half with Craig Loxton having an early shot defected for a corner, however, the visitors always looked dangerous during counter attacks and the home side were nearly punished in the 50th minute when an unmarked Arnold saw his powerful shot balloon off the crossbar. Five minutes later Danny Greaves made another important save to deny Mike Perrott’s attempt on goal.
On the hour, Manager Phil Bater made a double substitution with Kyle Bassett and Christian Sylvester replacing Mike Symons and Geraint Bater. As Clevedon pushed forward in an attempt to get back into the match. Craig Loxton shot over after some good football between Morgan and Page. Sylvester threatened the visitors goal in the 69th minute from 6 yards, but the best chance to pull a goal back fell to Kerry Morgan in the 75th minute, when he seized on a poor back pass and rounded Jake Meredith in the visitors goal, however much to the disappointment of the home fans his goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by Adi Adams. After that a well organised and disciplined Team Bath were happy to soak up the pressure and defend their two-nil lead until the final whistle.
At the end it was Team Bath who deserved their away win with a well organised performance in difficult playing conditions and they could have embarrassed the home side with a few more goals if it had not been for some crucial saves from Danny Greaves. Clevedon did improve in the second half and can look forward to getting back to winning ways on Easter Monday, when they host local rivals Mangotsfield United at the Hand Stadium (3.00pm).
Gallery
Team Sheet
| No: | Name: | Sub: | Goal: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greaves | ||
| 2 | Loxton | ||
| 3 | Haines | ||
| 4 | Scott (Capt) | ||
| 5 | Hendy | ||
| 6 | Trought | ||
| 7 | Thorne | ||
| 8 | Bater | ||
| 9 | Prosser | ||
| 10 | Symons | ||
| 11 | Morgan | ||
| 12 | Page | 9 | |
| 14 | Bassett | 10 | |
| 15 | Sylvester | 8 | |
| 16 | Leek | ||
| 17 | - | ||
| Own Goal | - |
Match Details
| Date: | 22/03/08 |
|---|---|
| Competition: | British Gas Business Southern League Premier Division |
| Opponents: | Team Bath |
| Venue: | The Hand Stadium Davis Lane Clevedon North Somerset BS21 6TG |
| Half Time: | 0 - 2 |
| Full Time: | 0 - 2 |
| Attendance: | 195 |
| Match Report: | Steve Webb |
| Photographs: | Tony Merrett |
| Match Sponsor: | - |
| Match Ball Sponsor: | - |
| Notes: |
Downloads
| Appearances & Goal Scorers | Word Document |
|---|---|
| Team Sheet Matrix | Excel Document |