League: 45s League Cup

Real Madras vs Rapid Dementia

Rapid Dementia Report:

With Real being unable to secure a pitch the fixture was switched to Rapids home ground of Radstock Town and the sunshine was out in force. Rapid were without the injured Darren Bird in goal and looked for an experienced replacement. Being unable to find one, Manager Gregory called upon the services of Kevin Presley, a well known local face with a sense of humour drier than the pitch.

The early calls from the warm up were that ‘the opposition looked decent’ and ‘I’m not happy with these new balls gaffer’ but with 16 fit and healthy squad members Rapid took the field with confidence.

It turned out that the opposition were decent and very organised, Rapid struggled to find a tempo of play but did create the better chances throughout the first half. The pick of which fell to Darren James after Sam Morton found him inside the six yard box, the Real Keeper blocking the shot.

With the heat beating down Rapid used their substitutions to good effect, resting the hard working Roper and James. Both defences marshalled the attacking threats well, Brum and Gay solid and Shaun Emery outstanding.

The second half saw Real grow into the game and again Rapid struggled to find a tempo despite maintaining possession. Chances again were few and far between and neither team looked like breaking the deadlock, and so with the game tied we went into penalties.

With Paul Gays sound words of advice of ‘save them’ ringing in his ears Presley and the five chosen penalty takers once again took to the field. Morton, Dowling and Rusty all went on to convert for Rapid whist Real struck the crossbar twice before Presley finally enacted Pauls words with a one handed save to clinch the game! Final Score 3-1 on pens

A good competitive match played in the right spirit, best of luck to Reals injured player on his recovery and thanks to Darren for his side line treatment!

Real Madras Report:

Hard fought game between to equal sides with few chances between them. The large pitch at Radstock Town fc, the warm weather and the lack of fitness took its toll on the day. We ended up with several injuries the worst being Franco who snapped his ankle ligaments. I have to say thanks to The Rapid Player who took very good care of him.

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Chew Magna 45’s vs Recliners FC

Recliners FC Report:

Proverbial game of two halves….Recliners started as poorly as ever been seen….shapeless, ragged….deservedly found themselves 3-0 playing up the mountainous slope. After the water break we switched to 4-5-1 and looked all the better, nicking one back before halftime.

Second half was one way traffic with Recliners dominating completely. Goald from Toby and John levelled it and there looked only one probable winner, until a wayward Chew strike cannoned off their forward and past the stranded Recliners keeper. Recliners lost defender Mark Smith with a broken leg after a whole-hearted 50/50, but stuck to the task and Toby bagged a second with a few minutes left. Recliners were unable to see Chew off and so it was to penalties. Dykes and Price were unable to covert so out we went 3-2 on pens. Game played in reasonable spirit aside from the need for one Yellow card and protracted moaning at the ref by a couple of players.

chew Magna Report:

Very much a game of two halves Chew used the downhill momentum well and established a 3-0 lead through two goals from Lewis and 1 from R. Smith. Recliners pulled one back just before half time and then the pattern reversed in the second half. Recliners took control and very soon levelled to make it 3-3 and then laid siege to the Chew goal. The game was in balance as keeper Keen kept recliners at bay and Chew missed a couple of chances on the break before scoring a deflected goal by M. Smith. Just when it looked that Chew would hold out for the win Recliners equalised to bring the game to a fitting climax. Keen was strong in goal and saved two, while 4 fine penalties from Lewis, M. Smith, Green and finally Coppell to secured the win and take Chew through to the quarters 4-2.
A Competitive and topsy turvy game,  played in  good spirit generally.
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Bryan Munich vs Re-Union

Bryan Munich Report:

Bryan played their first game of the season against former winners Reunion in the cup at a glorious Shirehampton Park.
The whole of the first half it seemed was parked in the Bryan end as Reunion pressed forward. They used the width of the pitch really well and attacked superbly down the flanks but Bryan held fast and debutante ‘keeper Carl made a couple of magnificent saves. Eventually the deadlock was broken on 37 minutes as a great ball in from the right was met at the far post.
Bryan Munich went in 1-0 down at half time and the talk was all about being rusty and not using the space well. A second goal came on the hour mark as Bryan should have cleared and the home side tactics were changed. The remainder of the game was a proper ding dong cup battle and Bryan pulled one back as pressure finally told. Chances went begging at either end but Reunion were worthy winners, well organised, quick at the back and composed.
We wish them well.
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Swift FC vs Nailsea Vets 45’s

Swift Report:

A very pleasant, extremely even and remarkably incident free game to report… Swift went ahead early on and then Nailsea equalised late on before the dreaded penalties…

Nailsea Report:

Thanks to the league committee for all the support in the last few weeks to make sure we were in good shape to get playing football again.

This opening game of the season was bookended by two goals, one in the first five minutes as a lack of concentration at the back by Nailsea let Swift in and one late on by Alex Plenty to level the score and take this cup tie to penalties. In between the two goals both teams shared possession quite evenly; Nailsea making good use of the width but lacking a final ball to really carve out any clear-cut chances. Swift had several opportunities on goal but the ever-dependable Lee McGreevy between the sticks kept Nailsea in the game.

5 minutes from time with an equalizer starting to look unlikely, Alex fired home low into the left corner of the net from 8 yards out in a crowded box to level the score. In the final two minutes Nailsea’s had two chances to nick a late win with a shot cleared off the line and Rich Wood pulling off a good stop in goal for Swift.

So, this was one for the neutral as we went to penalties. Fortunes ebbed and flowed; 3-3 after the first 5 penalties so sudden death and after Swift crashed a spot kick onto the cross bar, Mark Evans cooley drilled the ball top left to give Nailsea the win. This game could have gone either way so unlucky to Swift but we wish them luck as they embark on their league games.

Swift 1 – Nailsea 1

 

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Easton Cowboys 45’s vs Red Star 45’s

EC report:
We played on the 4G at Lockleaze. Result was a 3-1 to Red Star.
Red Star seemed a bit less rusty than the Cowboys. They had a few chances before they finally broke through and scored a good goal to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Red Star scored a second which looked offside but was given by the dodgy Cowboys linesman. We should never let him have the flag.
We pulled back a goal when our strikers to allow Gio to score in his first game. There wasn’t long left but we were coming back into the game when Red Star broke through the middle and their striker got taken out by a despairing tackle. Blatant penalty but missed by the ref. Our keeper then threw the ball to one of the Red Star players and allowed him to score.
Red Star Report:

The Cowboys clearly wanted to stake a claim on this new season, but the Red Star manager claimed to have smelled cup silver in these Lockleaze hills and he wasn’t to be disappointed.

Red Star started with a 7 pass sequence that eclipsed all of last years stats in an instant. Things were looking promising and they continued to impress with everything but finishing. The gaffer rolled his dice around the half hour mark, putting Alex up front after a five decade wait. He repaid the gamble with a cool finish under pressure.

1-0 at half time and with energy levels needing careful management, Red Star elected to circle the wagons and defend their precious lead. When Waj added a second after a tidy cut back by Alex it looked like they’d made it to the promised land of the next round, but when the Cowboys pulled one back with 5 minutes to go things were briefly on a knife edge. This was soon blunted though when a clear penalty was missed by the otherwise solid ref and confusion and disbelief brought the game to a standstill. The ball (technically still in play) rolled lazily round the 6 yard box until a Red Star player tidied it away into the back of the net. It is of enormous credit to the Cowboys that they swiftly and unilaterally agreed that a goal should be given. That effectively was the end of the contest and a merciful final whistle confirmed the result soon after.

Excellent performance from Red Star, solid in all departments and optimism high for the season ahead. Fantastic to be back playing on a very good pitch in a well fought footballing contest.

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