A lovely morning at BAWA marred by the usual problems of no keeper and no ref. With late cry offs and knowing how good Nailsea are, there was some trepidation before kick off. Recliners started brightly though and it was slightly against the run of play when a looping ball spun awkwardly off the pitch and dribbled into the net allowing Nailsea to take the lead after 10. The first of 3 penalties followed soon after. Emu in the Recliners nets hauled the striker down but was relieved to see the pen blasted wide. Recliners grew into an error strewn game, the bobbly pitch making it hard for either side to get control, The Duke equalized after a great counter attack ended with him lofting the ball over the keeper. Just before HT Nailsea regained the lead but there wasn’t a huge amount in it. After the break they started strong and a second pen was awarded for another clear trip. This time it was slotted perfectly. A poor back pass allowed the nippy Nailsea striker in for a fourth, before Recliners were awarded a pen of their own after a mix up at the back for Nailsea. The keeper saved the Duke’s spot kick, but he made amends a few minutes later when he neatly finished from ten yards after a huge gap appeared in the Nailsea defence. There were a few goal mouth scrambles and one off the line, but overall Nailsea were good value for the win in a tight game. A first class attitude was shown throughout by both teams towards each other and the reluctant ref, making this a competitive but properly Corinthian game.
League: Bristol Corinthians League
Yate Town Vets vs Clevedon Utd Vets
3 nil win due to Clevedon forfeit.
Red Star 35s vs Thornbury Town Vets
Red Star 35s: Another tough morning for Red Star. Having gone toe-to-toe with a well-organised Thornbury side for much of the first half we were undone by a ball over the top which was well-converted by a pacey forward. It could have been more had it not been from some fine keeping by stand-in goal Al Dennis. The second half was a more one-sided affair. Red Star failed to capitalise on their chances and Thornbury made sure of the tie with three more goals without reply. Their backline held up very well. It was a game played in a very good spirit, but one slightly overshadowed by the losses of one Red Star player very-early in the first half to a dislocated collar bone, and another in the second half to concussion, both from entirely innocuous situations. The BRI should have a Red Star on the door.
