As we come into what is suppose to be SPRING with its zero temperatures, we take a look how local football club Bradley Stoke Town FC  have been performing on and off the field.

Now to on the pitch!  The 1st Team didn’t play at all between the end of November until the end of January.  The first game back saw that some rust had built up on the team over the winter with a 2-2 result against Seymour Reserves.  However, after another postponement the team came back stronger when they managed a draw against 2nd placed side De Vays and haven’t looked back by picking up impressive wins again Portville Warriors and Talbot Knowle.  With the win against Portville being voted “Performance of the week” on the local sports website Bristol-Soccerworld. Jon Welsh summed up the last couple of months with the following words, “After a frustrating start to the season with injuries the first team have slowly gelled and become a difficult unit to beat.  Having been promoted a division this season it was always going to be hard but early good performances were not reflected in the number of points gained.  Since November the 1sts have only been beaten once and this is down to a settled side and a more compact team formation.  The team have beaten some of the top teams so the potential for success is there.  If the team can attain a top five finish this year then it will be a good first year and a solid base on which to build.”

The Reserves (who are sponsored by Bradley Stoke Matters!) have started picking up the points too. After a 3-1 loss against bottom side Brislington Cricketers at the start of January, the Reserves are now unbeaten in their last 4 matches.  Including the high scoring 7-1 win against Talbot Knowle United which saw veteran striker Carl O’Connell bagging himself 4 goals.  Still with a number of matches ahead of them, the Reserves can actually make a late push to get themselves into a promotion winning position.  Both co-Managers Ben Pearce and James Collis-Pritchard are confident that this side can build on the confidence gained from the recent run to continue the good form till the end of the season.

1st Team v Portville Warriors (Win 2-0)

An impressive win for the 1st Team, which saw them inflict only the second defeat of the season for Portville.  Goals being scored by Andy Turner and Lucas Entoundi.

All 4 BSTFC teams had games this weekend which is very rare for the club.

There was only one game last weekend for the BSTFC teams, as the 1st Team travelled to play Portville Warriors at Clevedon Town’s Hand Stadium.

They got off to a fantastic start after only 4 mins when a 20 yard shot from Brad Clark could only be parried out by the Portville keeper.  Adam Sykes was the first player to react and calmly played the ball in to the goal.  Portville started to pressure the BSTFC goal straight from the re start and eventually after 10 minutes the pressure played off.  Portville played the ball down the line for their striker to run on to but as his played the ball past BSTFC defender Mike Perham into the area and Perham made a challenge that brought down the Portville player and had the referee pointing directly to the spot.

Portville dispatched the penalty with BSTFC keeper Nathan Corney coming within inches of stopping the shot.

With both sides creating chances it was Portville who took the lead minutes before half time, after a counter attack that had capitalised on a BSTFC mistake.

The 2nd half saw BSTFC create all the chances with BSTFC keeper Corney not having to save one shot.  Ben Osborne and Brad Clark both came close to equalising but the Portville keeper was in outstanding form and managed to keep his side in the lead.

The game finished 2-1 to Portville with the BSTFC Jon Welsh  that his side didn’t get at least the point that thoroughly deserved.

Photos courtesy of Matt Burch

Top: Was it a penalty?!?!?!  Mike Perham brings down the Portville player for the penalty.

Right: Nick Favell heads the ball away.

It was a win, a draw and a loss for The Hornet’s last weekend, with the ‘A’ Team leading by example.

The ‘A’ Team took on local rivals Patchway North End in a game that always involves drama.   The pitch at the Jubilee Centre survived an early pitch inspection on Saturday morning, but a torrential downpour immediately prior to kick-off meant that conditions were far from ideal. The A Team made a bright start and dominated possession. After 21 minutes they got the reward for their play when a Patchway defender turned Adam Townsend’s cross into his own net. The lead was doubled on 40 minutes when in-form striker Paul Zambrzycki scrambled Dan Corrick’s header into the net. However, with their only attack of the first half, Patchway found a way back into the game when they capitalised on a defensive error to pull a goal back just before half-time. As the playing conditions worsened in the second half, the game died out as a spectacle and this suited Patchway’s “route-one” style of play. One of the few highlights of the half was a rasping 25-yard drive from Bradley Stoke’s Chris Hughes that cannoned off the underside of the crossbar. Despite some pressure from Patchway in the closing minutes, Bradley Stoke’s defence dealt with the pressure relatively comfortably and the home side held on for a 2-1 win. Man of the Match was midfielder Chris Hughes – who now has the impressive record of having received the award in both of his first two games for the club.

Andy Hurrell’s late volley ensured the 1st Team continued their recent unbeaten form against rivals De Veys. A resurgent second half performance after a sloppy first half secured a point for John Welsh’s First Team.  Welsh’s selection hand was forced in part due to numerous injuries and absences with Craig Potter, Stuart Pyett, Matt Hull and Nick Favell all unavailable.  He started with Lucas Entoundi and Shadrack Asimeng upfront, with Brad Clark, Ed Linsdale, Andy Turner and Adam Sykes supporting from the midfield. At the back, last week’s finishing four started this week, with Ben Osborne partnering Andy Troke in the centre, with Andy Hurrell and Tom Osborne at full back and Nathan Corney in goal. The Hornets started the game on the back foot, and De Veys enjoyed lots of possession and chances early on. Stand in keeper Corney kept the home side at bay with some fantastic saves, including one from a point blank range header, which he stopped on the line. The deadlock was broken half an hour in however, and Corney could do nothing about the finish after the De Vays winger muscled his way into the area before finishing well.

There were some half chances for The Hornets in the first half, with Clark, Asimeng and Sykes all trying their luck to no avail.  Before the break, De Veys should have increased their lead with numerous chances, but The Hornets rode their luck, and were grateful to hear the whistle for half time. Following stern words and some changes at the break, Andy Horne came on to replace Hurrell with Ben Osborne moving to right back and Horne coming on at the back. This gave The Hornets some additional structure and width, and the football soon began to flow, with Linsdale and Clark at the heart of all The Hornets play. Chances soon began to present themselves, with the best one falling to Sykes, after he muscled his way in front of a defender only to see his shot saved well.

With The Hornets in the ascendency, Welsh introduced Sam Chillcott to the game, and Hurrell returned to the pitch in his more familiar wide right position. It was from the wide right position that The Hornets looked most threatening, with mutiple crosses troubling the De Veys defence. The deserved equalising goal came from a typical Bradley Stoke set piece. Ben Osbourn’s long throw from the right hand side was flicked on by the ever dominant Linsdale, and volleyed home by Hurrell, who timed his run to perfection. The draw continues The Hornet’s recent return to form, and there were a lot of positives to take from a very accomplished second half display. The next test for Welsh is against bottom of the league Miners, who have yet to pick up a point this season. Welsh will be hoping his team will be able to make it four unbeaten games in a row when they welcome the Miners to the Nest.

It was not a good result for The Reserves however, despite enjoying large spells of possession and creating numerous chances against Talbot Knowle Reserves. The Reserves succombed to a 2-0 defeat which leaves them towards the bottom of the table, however they have only played four games and have some games in hand against the teams near them in the table.

For more news and info visit www.BSTFC.co.uk