U18 Combination Hengrove’s second-half super show

AFTER three weeks of the new season, following complete disruption to the previous two seasons due to lockdown, the Under-18 Combination fixtures were reduced by half to accommodate the GFA shield competition.

The newly-formed Premier Development Division was reduced to one game, as was Division Two. Divisions One and Three fared much better with three and four games being played, respectively.

In Division One, Hengrove Athletic had a 4-0 home win against Saltford Stars.

After a goalless first half, Hengrove clicked into gear although their 52nd-minute opener owed a lot to a slice of good fortune as a corner was turned into his own net by a Saltford defender.

The visitors went close with a free-kick on 66 minutes, which went just wide of the angle of crossbar and post, but within 60 seconds, Hengrove doubled their lead when Harvey Impey got to the ball fractionally before the Stars keeper to poke home. Substitute Carter Bailey made it 3-0 on 74 minutes, and he struck again with eight minutes to go.

In the Gloucestershire U18 Youth Shield, won 5-3 at

Bristol Central Thornbury Town.

Central took the lead after just seven minutes, and grabbed hold of the tie towards the end of the first half with two goals in the space of three minutes.

They made it 4-0 early in the second half, but Thornbury earned the goal their performance deserved when Henry Thomas got the first of his two strikes.

Central restored their four-goal advantage on 83 minutes, but Thornbury reduced the arrears with a second goal from Thomas and one from Callum Curtis.

Central’s five goals scored by Mekhi Duncan, Zack Gould, Riley Morris, Valentine Ezenedu and Jakub Jaworski.