14/02/15: Mendip Men’s 2nds travelled to Gordano School, Portishead, for a tough tie against third placed North Somerset A. With Mendip in fourth and seven points behind the side who had beaten them 1-6 at home, there was no doubt that if they wanted to get anything from the fixture, a dominant performance would be required.
With Mendip wearing blue, due to North Somerset’s yellow, the game started at a fast pace. North Somerset started as the more urgent and initially appeared to be the most likely team to score. However, Mendip rode out the storm and after 15 minutes took the lead from a short corner. James England placed an accurate pass from the short corner straight to Nick Pang, whose resultant powerful strike left the keeper and four defenders helpless.
This gave Mendip a huge boost and from here on, North Somerset’s players gradually became more and more frustrated, as they could find no way through the away side as Andy Baird, Karl Birk, Nick Pang and Toby Green were solid in the defence, making numerous tackles. The midfield was equal to the defence, with Paul Woolway, Tyler Wiltshire and Keelan Shearn helping out at the back on multiple occasions. In order to get any shots at goal, North Somerset had to do something special. But, when they did, goalkeeper Barry Sewell was always equal to them, making some superb diving saves to help keep the 0-1 advantage into half-time.
Deciding to stick to what was working, Mendip stayed as they were in the second-half. As expected, North Somerset came out all guns blazing, but once again, the Mendip defence held firm. It was a real team performance as Mendip defended as a team and attacked as a team, with wingers Will Holmes, Mike Bristowe and James England continuously running back to assist the full-backs.
The North Somerset pressure only proved to be an advantage to Mendip as their superior pace allowed for effective counter-attacks. Eventually, this led to Mendip’s second goal as James England beat the North Somerset keeper, putting some daylight between the teams. When the third goal came, it pretty much meant game over. This came as Chris Hampshire passed the ball across the face of goal, leaving Will Holmes to strike the ball past the scrambling goalkeeper.
Before Mendip were finished, there was still time for one more blast. The away side earned one more short corner and with the same combination as that of the first goal (James England injecting from the short and Nick Pang scoring), the score became and as a result ended, as 0-4. A very satisfying and well-deserved victory!
Nick Pang was awarded Man of the Match.
This result means that Mendip A stay forth in their league and are now only four points behind North Somerset A. South Gloucestershire A continue to up keep the pressure from fifth place and remain two points behind. Saturday’s match at Norton Hill School at 12 noon will be a big one as it’s 4th vs. 5th! Why not come along and support!
The Team: Barry Sewell, Andy Baird, Nick Pang, Karl Birk, Toby Green, Paul Woolway (capt.), Keelan Shearn, Tyler Wiltshire, Mike Bristowe, Will Holmes, James England, Chris Hampshire.
Mike Bristowe
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