Comment

KNOCKOUT CUP SEMI-FINAL: A crowd of around 100 watched a keenly contested press to print sponsored Eric Hughes Knockout Cup Semi-Final between Devizes based sides AFC Bell of Division Three and last season's runners-up, Crown Cosmos, at a blustery Jubilee Fields in Bromham.

It was the Third Division side that took the lead against their second division opponents after only five minutes. Goalkeeper, Gareth Evans' long kick caused confusion in the Cosmos defence as it was only partially dealt with by Andy Stone. Bell's Jonathan Couch picked up the loose ball and released Lloyd Sartin who superbly drilled home from 15-yards. Cosmos nearly struck back within two minutes. Nathan Sheridan's through ball found David Lloyd and the normally clinical striker blasted over from the edge of the box. Although the Cosmos looked comfortable when they had the ball, The Bell's pacey strike force of Couch and Sartin posed many problems when they went forward. On 14 minutes another slick move set Rik Noonan free and his cross was barely inches over Couch as he came in. After 35 minutes Sartin found himself in a similar position to which he had previously scored from but this time Cosmos keeper, Dave Hopkins parried his shot.

With The Bell threatening to extend their lead as the half progressed, Cosmos needed something to claw themselves back into the game. It came five minutes before the break. Nathan Sheridan curled in a free kick from near the corner flag, which Evans appeared to misjudge, and only palmed away, the loose ball fell to the feet of Nick Taylor who stabbed it home from six yards to make it 1-1. Two minutes later, another identical delivery from Sheridan found Lloyd at the back post who blazed his shot over the bar.

The equalising goal seemed to knock the wind out of The Bell and going into the second period, Cosmos started to take control. Within a minute of the restart Eliot Williams' cross was headed over the bar by Lloyd. Six minutes later Andy Coombes' cross ended up at Williams but he shot wide when he should have tested The Bell keeper. The crucial next goal came on the hour and it came in controversial circumstances. Julian Alexander weaved a merry trail across The Bell penalty area before passing to Sheridan. As the ex-Devizes Town midfielder went to go past Nathan Moffat, there appeared to be a minor contact but enough for the referee to award a penalty. Sheridan picked himself up to send Evans to wrong way from the spot and make it 2-1 to Crown Cosmos. Now chasing the game, The Bell's Craig Townsend moved from his midfield role to a more forward one and nearly made an impact on 65 minutes. His pass to Couch was helped on to Sartin but he curled his 18-yard shot over Hopkins' crossbar. Cosmos could have extended their lead with 20 minutes left after Evans only half cleared Williams' cross. Although Lloyd's volley was goal bound, Bell's Andy Morgan bravely threw himself in front of the ball to block the shot. With time running out, the Bell laid siege to the Cosmos goal but a defence well marshalled by Taylor and Andy Stone dealt with their efforts fairly comfortably. The Bell's final chance fittingly fell to their premier marksman Townsend in injury time when he superbly teed himself up for a shot on goal but agonisingly saw his strike drift just past the far post with Hopkins well beaten. Cosmos hung for a 2-1 win but The Bell will go away from this game thinking that things could have been so different. Crown Cosmos will meet either Westbury Rangers A or Dog & Fox Ashley in April's final the all-premier division semi-final is on 30th March at Melksham Town's Conigre ground.

PREMIER DIVISION With Corsham Centre in Wiltshire Sunday Cup action, both Biddestone Social and Westbury Rangers A seized their opportunity to move above the defending Robson Taylor, Chippenham League, Premier division champions courtesy of victories over respective opponents Dog & Fox Ashley and Maud Heath Sports, but with 26 points apiece they are having to share the number one spot for the time being.

Biddestone Social and Westbury might be locked together on 26 points but by it's Biddy who are on top of the pile by virtue of a better goal difference. Dan Lardner and Danny Jones side took over at the summit with a 3-2 victory over Dog & Fox Ashley that saw them stretch their unbeaten run to 10 matches, but what looked like being a comfortable victory for Lardner and Co almost ended in disaster as the Dog & Fox struck two late goals to leave their guests at St Laurence School facing a few nervy moments late on. Biddestone took the lead on 16 minutes when Jamie Lyons fired home from 25 yards. Biddestone doubled their lead in the 32nd minutes through Dan Lardner who bent a superb free kick over the Dog's wall and into the net. Danny Jones thought that he had wrapped up the win on 73 minutes when he volleyed home a John O'Meara cross. With the points seemingly won complacency set in and Biddestone conceded a goal in the 84th minutes as Steve Wickings gave the Dog hope of a late fight back and when Steve Roddy reduced the arrears to the odd goal two minutes from time the Dog sensed that they might be able to snatch a point from the game that they should have been out off, but in the end time ran out and Biddestone were content with their victory even if it was a lot closer than they had expected it to be.

Westbury Rangers A remain in the hunt for the title after they came from behind to beat Maud Heath Sports 2-1, away at the Rec in Calne. Ali Duncan put Maud Heath one up and they looked as if they would hold the slight advantage going into the second period, but just as half time approached Sam Tucker struck only his second goal of the season to put Shaun Gardiner's side back on level terms. Both teams had chances to take the lead in the second half before Ranger's talisman Marc Lanfear bagged his 19th goal of the campaign to give Rangers their fourth win on the bounce and their first away from Meadow Lane in five matches which also came in Calne when they beat North Star A 2-1 back in October.

Box Rovers returned to action for the first time in three weeks with a home match against near neighbours FC Colerne and they won a nine-goal thriller 5-4. Rovers who had been unable to raise a team for recent games against Winsley and Dog & Fox Ashley were near full strength for their local derby which saw both teams going at each other from the of as they were keen to draw first blood. It was Rovers who forced the opening on seven minutes and it was ironic that a harmless back pass from Dave Leask under pressure from Pete Tye to the Colerne keeper Guy Chamberlain saw the ball bobble badly and evade the boot of the keeper only to trickle in to the empty net. Within five minutes Colerne were back on level terms. Dave Roderick played in Matty Campbell on the right and he tormented the Box left back, Sam Puckett, before crossing for Ross Hall to volley home. Box Rovers regained the lead after poor defending by Colerne, which allowed Jason Walsh to make it 2-1. On the stroke of half time Colerne squared things up, they were awarded a free kick on the right and Sam Courtnage floated a free kick in to the area which Dave Roderick met and swept in to the net to make it two apiece.

The first 20 minutes of the second half was dominated by Rovers and the home side took a two goal lead 4-2 with Adam Taylor and Sam Sibbick scoring, however Sibbick's goal was controversial, a Colerne player was down injured and Colerne played the ball out so the player could get treatment, from the restart a Rovers player threw the ball to Colerne's keeper but before it arrived to Guy Chamberlain, Sibbick nipped in and put the ball in the net, this fired up the Colerne players and with seven minutes left, Liam Fullam deflected a Jamie Bowler shot past his keeper to bring Colerne within one goal at 4-3. From the restart Rover reclaimed a two goal advantage, from the kick off Rovers touched the ball to Luke Wolf who looked up and saw the Colerne keeper on his six yard line and he punted the ball towards goal which was perfectly judged as it sailed into make the score 5-3. With five minutes left Ross Hall made it 5-4 with his second of the game and for the remainder of the game Colerne did everything but snatch an equaliser. Match referee Ollie Ballinger handled the game well after being subjected to much abuse, which might have seen other officials brandish many yellow or even red cards in order to keep a grip on the game.

It was a tale of two keepers in the match at Freshford between Winsley and Miller Sports, Miller's shot stopper Nick Evans was outstanding between the sticks for the Melksham based side as his heroics help Miller extended their unbeaten run to five matches while his opposite number Mike Thorpe had a game he would prefer to forget as his errors proved very costly as Winsley were defeated 3-2. Winsley took the lead through Neil Hannaford's fine strike but Winsley lead didn't last long as Miller's other outstanding performer on the day James Eatough brought Miller level when he powered home a free-kick even if it did beat keeper Thorpe with a slight deflection. Thorpe was guilty for Miller's second when he failed to hold onto a Royston Aust shot and even helped it over the line to give Miller a 2-1 lead. Another good finish from distance from Hannaford restored parity for Winsley before the second half turned into the Nick Evans show. Evans denied Pete Barkley from the penalty spot, Barkley for whom it was his final game for the club took over the spot kick duties from Neil Kirkpatrick and wished he hadn't as Evans produced a great save to keep his effort out. Evans also produced world class saves to deny Hannaford his hat trick and he saved the best until last when he thwarted Paul Ranger with a breathtaking save when Ranger looked to have fired Winsley ahead. With Evans unbeatable it was left Eatough to win the game for Miller when he bagged his second of the contest to earn Miller their 3-2 victory.

Bradford News and North Star A were forced to postpone their match, the relegation four pointer between the division's bottom two sides were called off after North Star's players were involved in a three vehicle road traffic accident in Melksham on route to the game. The accident left Dave Lymath and Rob Bunton's cars as write-offs, but apart from being shaken up after the accident both Lymath and Bunton suffered no injuries as did none of the other Star players.

DIVISION ONE Division one leaders The Ship FC opened up a three point lead over Potterne at the top of the table after they beat the villagers 5-2 at their Stallards pitch in Trowbridge. Potterne took the lead in the fifth minute when Myles Hickton ran onto a through ball and lobbed the keeper from 18 yards, The Ship equalised in the 10th minute after a scramble in Potterne's penalty area and the ball fell to Lee Hayward who slotted the ball in to the net. The hosts took the lead in the 12th minute when Dave Percival controlled the ball from a cross from the left and his shot went in off the post. Potterne equalised in the 25th minute thanks to a good run down the left by Nick Holmes who crossed the ball from the goal line and Myles Hickton was on hand to score his second of the game, both teams had chances to score in the final minutes of the first half but neither took their opportunities. The second half saw The Ship pressing the Potterne goal but good defending by Wayne House and Jamie Bayes kept the score level, the home team finally broke the Potterne's resistance on 55 minutes when Paul Gittins headed the ball in from a corner. Potterne threw up front as they went looking for the equaliser, which left them exposed at the back, The Ship took advantage of this and they increased their lead in the 85th minute when Tom Bonsor scored. The Ship made it five in the 87th minute when Dave Percival rounded the keeper and calmly slotted it into the net. The final score of 5-2 was a little flattering to the home side as Potterne gave them a good game for 85 minutes but fell but conceded late goals as they looked for a way back into the game.

Rowde are closing in on second placed Potterne and their 5-3 victory away at Atworth United saw them pick up their 11th win of the campaign that has moved them within three points of an automatic promotion spot. Atworth were without several regulars including regular keeper Joe Menghini and influential players Phil Strange and Ian Jeffery but put up a brave performance which gives them some confidence going into next weeks WG Parr Trophy semi-final against favourites Coyote. Things started badly for the home side when they found themselves 2-0 down after only 10 minutes with Marcus Wallen scoring both goals and at this stage Atworth's manager Mark Jeffery feared a heavy beating with Wallen and Jamie Mullings causing all sorts of problems. However Atworth stand in keeper Craig Rees produced a couple of fine saves to keep them in it and they were rewarded when Jack Adcock controlled a high ball, turned and his shot deceived the Rowde keeper to put them back in the game. However their joy was short lived when Rowde scored a third minutes later with Jamie Mullings hitting the net. The goals continued to flow in a breathless first half when Atworth's Sean Fordham delivered a wicked free kick that flicked off the head of a Rowde defender Martin Robinson to bring the hosts within a goal of the visitors after just half an hour. A remarkable first half came to a close when Rowde Wallen powered in a fourth to complete his hat trick and on the half time whistle they took advantage of a lapse in concentration by central defender Glen Young to rifle in a fifth which was scored by Ray King and leave Atworth facing a second half where they could have easily folded. However credit to the weakened Atworth team that they took the game to the opposition in the second period prompted by Ross Menghini and tricky wing play from Sean Kerslake. Atworth introduced the evergreen and ever keen in the large shape of Stuart Holland and Alex Davies for Sean Fordham and Steve Lye and both players were unlucky not to score. Laurence Brill and Rikki Sullivan snuffed out the threat from the Rowde forwards and Sullivan was especially pleased to get 90 minutes under his belt for the first time since he suffered a bad groin injury in the first game of the season. Ten minutes from time Atworth were rewarded for their second half showing when Stuart Holland fell under a challenge and up stepped Ross Menghini to confidently slam home the resulting penalty forhis 16th goal of the season in all competitions to bring a bit of respectability to the scoreline.

British Lion completed a league double over Biddestone Arms and with their 3-0 win continued to put pressure on the leading pack at the top of the table who have already written the Devizes based side off, but their fourth win on the trot means that they are till in with an outside chance of stealing a top two finish. The Lion got off to the best start possible with a goal after only three minutes. Andrew Webster flicked Andy Stonestreet's long throw on and Luke Enderby scored a rare goal with his head from eight yards. Darren Brown nearly doubled the lead on eight minutes but his 20-yard drive curled just wide of Mark Ogilvie's goal. Four minutes Enderby set up Nathan West and his cross-cum-shot flew across the goal when only a touch from any of the onrushing Lion players would have resulted in a goal. On 15 minutes Webster crossed for Brown but the midfielder's shot from 18-yards should have tested Ogilvie more than it did. Although the Lion had totally dominated the opening exchanges, the Arms showed great character and slowly started to get some foothold on the game. Scott Bowen charged down Mark Stonestreet's attempted clearance and although he skipped round the Lion keeper, he somehow placed his shot wide of an empty net. Six minutes Stonestreet had to act smart to save well at the feet of Bowen as the Arms' striker was set free.Cruelly, the Arms were punished within a minute. Enderby's pass put Lee Campbell through on goal and although Ogilvie did well to partially block his shot, Campbell's lob over the keeper gave Webster a simple chance to head home from close range to make it 2-0. Six minutes before the break West released Enderby and although he lobbed Ogilvie, centre half Paul Duckett was on hand to clear off the line. The Lion's goal experienced another charmed escape right on half time. Rich Chaffey crossed and Bowen's close range shot bounced off the underside of the crossbar to the feet of Jack Goodship who blasted over with the goal gaping.

The first half an hour of the second half became pretty much a stalemate as the Lion seemed happy to sit on 2-0 lead and the Arms while stopping the visitors from extending their lead, were unable to create clear cut opportunities of their own. However going into the last fifteen minutes, the Lion did start to create more chances as the hosts pushed extra bodies forward. John Stockman and Enderby linked well but an Arms defender did enough to block Webster's shot. With nine minutes left, substitutes Luke Hunneyball and Rob Drown exchanged passes. Drown's shot beat Ogilvie but Craig Duff managed to hack the ball away from danger. Drown then went close with an acrobatic strike after Fran Fife and Enderby had worked the ball into the Arms penalty area. With time running out, Enderby's long pass found Webster free on goal but as the Lion targetman was about to shoot he was perhaps harshly flagged offside. The decision became academic as in injury time a repeat pass from Enderby left Webster on his own and this time he calmly slotted past Ogilvie to wrap up the win Foresters Arms clinched both points away at Christian Malford with a 2-0 win as Malford's long losing streak continued. Both sides struggled early in the game on the bumpy pitch. Foresters however took the lead after 14 minutes when the Malford defence let Greg Wilmot out run them to a kick from Foresters keeper Dan Neale. Although Wilmot's first effort was parried by stand in keeper James Pope he made no mistake with the rebound. Foresters looked more dangerous going forward and should have gone further in front, but for several near misses and saves by the Malford keeper Pope. With no further score in the first period the half time whistle arrived as Malford were hit with more injuries to their already beleaguered side. Malford were again forced into changes each side of half time due to yet more injuries. Foresters were clearly on top and were awarded a penalty after 57 minutes when Greg Wilmot was brought down in the area by a Malford defender. Luke Turvey's penalty however was well saved by James Pope. This seemed to spark Malford and at last they began to pressure the Forrester's defence although they failed to trouble the keeper. After 80 minutes Foresters went 2-0 in front when Luke Turvey's shot cum cross deceived the Malford keeper and drifted over the unlucky Pope. Although Malford continued to press, the game which was well refereed by Mark Sammut ended with no further score.

Coyote were unable to raise a team for their trip to Avebury where they were scheduled to meet fellow WG Parr Trophy finalists AFC Calne. The match may have been postponed by Coyote, but nobody notified match referee Pete Cox who travelled all the way from Melksham for the game.

10:10am Monday 10th March 2008

Print

Email this

Comment