24/10/15 : On Saturday Mendip travelled to Yate without 3 of their first choice defenders but were still confident that they could get a positive result against a Yate side sitting in a similar position in the league. However, the home side went hard right from the off and kept possession extremely well in the opening period, playing the ball around with crisp clean passes and making good progress down both flanks, putting intense pressure on the make-shift defence, who were immediately on the back foot. Giles Denning did everything in his power to repel the numerous attacks but the movement of the Yate forwards made it exceptionally difficult for the inexperienced back-line and it was no surprise when a short corner was conceded inside the opening 10 minutes from which Yate scored as an unstoppable shot flew in off a defender’s stick. Although the Mendip midfield worked extremely hard to close down and win possession, all too often their play was hurried and they were unable to create any meaningful incursion. That enabled Yate to dictate the tempo and as they were a well drilled team playing at a fast pace the visitors were simply not able to get a foot hold in the match and when the ball was lost on the edge of the 23m area Yate increased their lead as Mendip were unable to clear their lines and the ball was prodded home after a scrappy goal mouth scramble. Mendip changed to a 3-5-2 formation in order to bolster the midfield and gradually started to make more headway as Josh Sutton and Oli Beechener began to have more influence going forward, winning a couple of precious short corners, albeit to no avail but on the whole it was hard to forestall the hosts and when they stole the ball in a dangerous area the score-line read 3 – 0 following a swift and clinical attack. For the first 25 minutes of the match Yate were simply irrepressible but it could be argued that the game turned with one monumental act of determined resolve by Leigh Taylor, the Mendip keeper, as he rushed from his line with a forward bearing down on goal looking to put the game beyond Mendip’s reach and with immaculate timing slid in full length, taking the ball clean off the stick and clearing away to safety. That galvanised the visitor’s and their best chance came just before half time when Josh dribbled past a number of players and threaded a pass through to Oli who unfortunately was unable to take full advantage. Mendip used the break to take stock and regroup, pressing the reset button and coming out in an altogether more relaxed frame of mind. They immediately settled into their rhythm and inside 5 minutes Steve Smith brought about a fine save from the Yate keeper and minutes later Oli released John Lippiatt with a sublime aerial ball only for the keeper to smother the chance and sweep away to the sideline. Yate were still very dangerous going forward and went close to their 4th as a shot whistled narrowly wide of the post but Mendip were now playing with a lot more freedom and with the defence also showing more authority they were able to take the game to the home side. John Lippiatt was leading the line with strength and belligerence and was ably supported by James England who was visibly growing in confidence in a more advanced role up front and the two combined well when James put John through on goal with a well weighted pass only for the keeper to once again come to the rescue. Minutes later James himself had a golden opportunity following great work from midfielder Liam Young but regrettably his snatched shot went the wrong side of the post. Mendip had Yate penned in their own half for long spells and after 20 minutes their perseverance finally paid off when once again James and John interchanged passes and when this time the keeper could only parry, Josh was on hand to lift the ball into the roof of the net. The final 15 minutes were all Mendip and John could so easily have scored when his shot flew past the post but moments later he made up for his miss by crafting out a goal for Steve to narrow the deficit and only trail by 3 – 2. Going into the final period Mendip certainly had Yate on the rack and were able to force a series of short corners but the Yate keeper had the last word as he denied Oli from a “drag flick” and with that the match was lost as the hosts saw out the remainder of the game. To quote a cliché this was certainly “a game of two halves” but Mendip started too slowly and allowed Yate to dictate in the early stages, giving themselves too much to do in the end. However, on a positive note Ben Beechener and James England came out of the match with enormous credit, stepping up from the 2nds and making their 1st team debuts and the collective man-of-the-match award went to the midfield of Josh Sutton, Will Lawton, Oli Beechener, Liam Young and Pete Waddington who did not give up and almost turned the game around.
The team was: Leigh Taylor, Toby Green, Giles Denning, Ben Beechener, Pete Waddington, Will Lawton, Josh Sutton, Oli Beechener, Liam Young, James England, Steve Smith and John Lippiatt.
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