Bradley Stoke Town FC hosted their first league game of the season on Tuesday evening (4th September) at the Jubilee Centre but eventually lost the game 1-0.
The game started brightly with chances at either end of the pitch, the majority of them going to Bradley Stoke. Manager Jon Welsh making the most of the agile Adam Hay up front accompanied by experienced Adam Sykes. Not much change in the midfield with Nick Favell, Brad Clarke and Ed Linsdale with a solid Craig Potter playing behind them at centre half.
Bradley Stoke dominating the first 20 minutes with two chances from Adam Hay that were both saved by an excellent Mendip keeper. The first half became about who could take the chances that were given. No team took any of their chances and the first half was goalless.
The second half both teams had been given an encouraging team talk; they were both up for the fight. Again the start of the half was looking promising for Bradley Stoke, when Potter burst through the Mendip midfield and created a chance for Chillcott behind a Mendip full back; he squared the ball but none of the strikers were able to get a touch on it to poke it goalwards.
Bradley Stoke then went a goal down in the 75th minute when Stuart Pyett was shown a red card for an innocuous challenge in the box. The penalty was converted, sending Bradley Stoke’s keeper diving the wrong way.
In the last ten minutes Bradley Stoke kept battling for a goal that never came. There was controversy in the last couple of minutes when Bradley Stoke keeper, Brendan Wilson, who had been on the halfway mark for a corner, got the ball. He rounded one player and tried to take on the second resulting in a committed challenge for which he received a yellow card.
The game ended 1-0 but Bradley Stoke showed some promising play, especially when using short passes coming forwards.
The Teams
Bradley Stoke: Wilson, Potter, Pyett (red-carded), Corney, Osbourne, Turner, Favell, Clarke, Linsdale, Sykes, Hay.
Subs: Chillcott and Hurrell
Mendip: Elmes, Monkes, Cairnes, Lesley, Pinchgan, Thatcher, Hurst, Lewis, Norman, Young, More.
Subs: Nott, Attiwell and Darble
Photo: Brad Clarke on the ball for Bradley Stoke Town FC. [Photo credit: Connor Summers]
Reporting by Connor Summers, presenter of the Sports Show on Bradley Stoke Radio.
