21/2/15: Before the match Mendip were under no illusions that they would face a very tough opponent as they travelled to free scoring, table topping Weston-Super-Mare on Saturday but within minutes of the start they were left with absolutely no doubt that a long and arduous afternoon lay ahead.
The hosts went full throttle right from the off and were extremely strong, running and dribbling with the ball so that Mendip were immediately on the back foot facing wave after wave of attacks.
Although the back-four defended valiantly and on the whole were largely successful in stemming the tide, they were unable to prevent shots from raining down on their goal and ultimately it was left to Leigh Taylor to perform heroics and pull off several magnificent saves to keep the scores level.
The Mendip midfield battled gamely with Andy Wood in particular playing a pivotal role in frustrating the opposition with his persistent tackling and combative diligence and despite being under intense pressure for the majority of the half Mendip managed to stay in contention.
Ironically with all of Weston’s team play, when the breakthrough finally came it was from a splendid solo goal as a skillful player picked up the ball in midfield and went on a strong diagonal run across field using his pace and close control to evade 3 Mendip defenders and expertly score on the reverse stick.
Following the goal Mendip played a little more progressively and easing their way into the match tried to play their way out from the back but they were given no time or space to settle and it was difficult to retain any sort of possession or make any forward headway. Oli Beechener and Liam Young were always willing to chase the expediently played through ball but John Lippiatt was isolated up front and their overall play was too fragmented to cause any real problem for the Weston defence. However, in the dying minutes of the half Mendip were awarded three consecutive short corners but were unable to convert and consequently went into the break 1 – 0 down.
Mendip came out in the 2nd half far more bullish and met Weston head-on. Woody, Josh Sutton and Will Lawton started to play with more freedom and had more of an impact on the game. However, the Weston defence was a disciplined unit and goal scoring opportunities were hard to come by. Going forward Weston were still extremely dangerous but Mendip ‘doubled up’ in defence and supported each other very well to keep them at arms-length in and around the D. Inevitable short corners were conceded but it was especially pleasing that the Mendip back-four refused to yield and were still very much in the match with only the solitary goal separating the two sides.
Now having achieved a foothold in the game and looking to build on that, it was disappointing when the 2nd goal came as Mendip carelessly lost possession whilst going forward and were unable to react quickly enough as a Weston forward broke free. Leigh was alert to the danger but only contrived to flatten the protagonist, who regained his feet to rifle home the Penalty Stroke.
With a mountain to climb Mendip went on the attack but despite some neat approach play they were simply not able to unlock the Weston defence and any chance of getting back into the match was confounded when the Mendip right-back was caught out tracking back and was too light-weight in the challenge, allowing the winger to break away and shoot home from the narrowest of angles.
Mendip have proved this season that they possess spirit and heart in abundance and with 10 minutes to go they finally got their consolation goal, albeit in the most bizarre circumstances. Will Lawton unleashed a shot from the top of the D and it struck a foot on its way into the goal. Having already blown for a Penalty Stroke, as the ball crossed the line the umpire changed his mind and awarded the goal.
Every player played his part in a lung busting effort and there is certainly no shame in this defeat. Only requiring one more win to achieve promotion, Mendip move forward to face Shepton Mallet next week with a 12 o’clock start time at Norton Hill School in Midsomer Norton.
The Team was: Leigh Taylor, Andy Flint, Giles Denning, Rich Penn, James Lovell, Josh Sutton, Oli Beechener, Andy Wood, Will Lawton, Liam Young, John Lippiatt, Steve Smith and Mark Bartholomew.
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