Shire show title intent with win over Shaftesbury
SHIREHAMPTON Reserves sounded a warning of their Combination Division One title intent and dealt a significant blow to Shaftesbury Crusade’s hopes of clinging on to top spot after breezing to a 3-0 Bonnington Walk success.
Shire forged in front on six minutes when Jordan Whittaker seized on a loose ball in the Shaftesbury box to steer home with his left foot.
The lead was doubled half-anhour in as Jay Spicer flicked on for George Brimson to finish.
Brimson had a penalty appeal rejected just before the break, but he did manage to convert one in the second half after Spicer had been fouled with 17 minutes remaining.
Eli Smith was on hand in the Shire goal to make a one-on-one intervention late on.
At the other end, Brimson’s hattrick looked certain in the final stages of the game, but it wasn’t quite to be thanks to the woodwork and quick goalkeeping reactions.
Although Shirehampton’s slickers remain third in the table travelling to take on Chipping Sodbury Town Reserves on Saturday (2pm), and still trail leaders Shaftesbury by nine points, they have six games in hand on a Crusade outfit facing only four more fixtures.
Shire will no doubt have noted Chipping Sodbury Town Reserves’ improvement this term, despite a 4-3 derby defeat at Old Sodbury in their latest outing.
In an entertaining spectacle, Tim
Seymour’s visitors fought back from 3-1 down to equalise with only five minutes to go, only to lose out to a sucker-punch in the dying embers of the game as the delighted hosts prevailed thanks to Liam Barrett, Darren Bell, Simon Purnell and Josh Field strikes. Jesse Bailey, with two goals, and Euan McDougall were Chipping Sodbury’s marksmen.
Top-five rivals Hambrook and Greyfriars Athletic fought out a cracking 4-4 Whiteshill Common draw, one that nonetheless left Greys boss Benni McCarthy unimpressed after watching Matt Troth hit a hat-trick and Alex Pullen contribute for his team.
“We chucked away a three-goal lead which pretty much summed up our season in not seeing games out,” the New Road manager conceded.
“Hopefully we’ll get it right soon and put a little run together.”
Thornbury Town Reserves finally reached the halfway point of their disrupted season by playing only their 12th game in hosting
Patchway Town Reserves.
A dominant first-half performance saw Thornbury race into a 4-1 interval lead through Asher Budd’s brace and Cam Smith and Cam Drew singles.
Their leading goalscorer Harrison Young saw a second-half effort rebound off the post, while the visiting goalkeeper saved well from a Young free-kick midway through the period. Patchway pulled a goal back after sloppy home defending to give the scoreline a more respectable look for them.
The Premier Division’s top two, leaders Hallen Reserves and Totterdown United, fought out a 1-1 Norton Lane stalemate.
Totterdown went 1-0 up through Chaz Hemmings and missed the chance to add to their advantage from the penalty spot.
Instead, Hallen equalised in the second half to ensure their threepoint lead at the summit remained intact, although Totterdown still have a game in hand heading into tomorrow’s home fixture with Stapleton, while Hallen entertain Bradley Stoke Town (both 2pm).
Bradley Stoke will approach the meeting in good heart too after seeing off third-placed DRG Frenchay 3-2 on their travels.
They flew into a 2-0 lead, only for DRG to somehow peg it back to 2-2 through Jesse Hudson and Jude Scott goals.
The hosts began the second half strongly too, appearing to have netted a third goal two minutes after the restart before being denied the effort by an offside flag. Again they went close late on as Aaron West’s 25-yard shot crashed against the crossbar.
It wasn’t to be DRG’s day ultimately as Bradley Stoke, who had Adam Hay, Dylan Plenty and Steve Johnston on target for them, struck the winning blow with a “tame shot” from the frustrated home camp’s perspective.
Winterbourne chairman Robyn Maggs hailed it as “top class” from his team again as a Ben Weaver hattrick and Tristan Day effort clinically despatched of Olveston United, whose James Worley notched, 4-1 at Parkside Avenue to serve as ideal preparation for Bourne’s League Cup final date with St Nicholas at Mangotsfield United’s Cossham Street next Wednesday.
Elsewhere in Premier Division combat, struggling Longwell Green Sports Reserves had Jack Waldron twice on target to give them much-needed hope, albeit not quite enough to stop AEK Boco Reserves claiming a 3-2 Greenbank Rec HQ victory through Jacob Leonard’s double and Aden Criddle’s effort.
Billy Arnold and Rhys Iles registered respectively for Nicholas Wanderers and Henbury in a 1-1 Dundridge Park draw.
There was rare disappointment for Division One’s undefeated second-placed team Iron Acton after they were edged aside 3-2 on penalties in a tense and competitive League Cup semi-final by top flight hosts St Nicholas following a 1-1 regular-time draw.
Yohan Rutty-Smith had fired Saints ahead during what their manager Tim Minihane described as “a dominant 60 minutes in which we could have extended our lead.”
However, a mistake three minutes from time was seized on by Acton’s Joe Hillard to take the tie to penalties, where St Nics’ Luke Williams was the hero with two saves.