Bishops Cleeve 0-2 Sholing

Scorers : Jake Cope 45+2, Dan Mason 79

Date: Tuesday 27 September 2022, 7:45pm – Southern League Division 1 South

Venue: Kayte Lane

Bishops Cleeve : Lewis Clayton, Will Turner, Mark Pritchett, Lorcan Sheehan, Shane Anson © , Joseph Jeremiah, Blaine Waugh, Jordan Annear, George Box, Jack Watts, Kia Newman. Subs : Jake Parrot, Greg Lannon, Harrison Reeves, Joseph Selman, Samuel Blackie

Bookings : Lewis Clayton, Kia Newman

Sholing : Ryan Gosney, Marv McLean, Jake Cope, Rob Flooks, Dan Miller, Owen Roundell, Lee Wort, Byron Mason © (Josh Batt 26), Dan Mason, Sami Makhloufi (Stu Green 74), Charlie Wagstaffe.  Unused subs : Ryan Cluett, Conor Whiteley, Tomasz Gruzewski

Bookings : Sami Makhloufi

Attendance: 55 (looked nearer 100 to me)

Referee : J Brookland  Assistants : C Bounds & L Brace

Man of the Match : Ryan Gosney

Sholing returned from the 200 mile mid-week away trip with our 100% record intact after an entertaining game at Bishops Cleeve. Jake Cope & Dan Mason continued their fine form, scoring goals in either half in another excellent team performance.

Team News : Boatmen welcomed back Lee Wort, Byron Mason & Marv McLean to the starting line-up. Rob Nicholls missed out with work commitments & Brad Targett watched from the sidelines, but he should return from injury very soon.

Was our first visit to Bishops Cleeve since 2014 and the biggest change was the brand new 3G pitch. It was thankfully dry, but the days of warm evenings are definitely now behind us.  Game got underway 5 minutes behind schedule for whatever reason, with Sholing attacking the clubhouse end.

Boatmen started brightly and Dan Mason tested the keeper after 3 mins, who palmed out his shot and it was cleared just as Copey was about the pounce.  Jake was playing on the left and hit a fantastic crossfield pass to his opposite number, Marv, on 7 minutes. Marv ran at the defence and squared to the arriving Charlie Wagstaffe who pulled his shot across the keeper and just wide.

We were playing some lovely high tempo passing football and looking a team full of confidence as we poured forward. D-Dan was again denied by the keeper and then a last ditch tackle, before his strike partner Lee Wort fired a shot over after being set up by Sami.   A clash of heads left Byron Mason with a heavily bleeding nose and the captain had to come off on 26 mins to be replaced by Josh Batt.   Marv & Copey switched wings and we lost a bit of the impetus we had built.

Cleeve came more into the game as the half went on, having a few corners and shots, but nothing to trouble Gosney.  On 42 mins, another good chance for Sholing as Dan fed Marv on the overlap and from a tight angle his fierce shot whistled inches over the bar.

In first half added time two big moments in the game inside 30 seconds of each other.  A good build up by Bishops Cleeve saw a low shot from the edge of the area that seemed destined for the bottom corner until Ryan Gosney did superbly to get down and tip it away....  the ball was cleared downfield and JAKE COPE won it on the half way line and burst forward at pace beyond the defence and as the keeper came out, Copey finished with aplomb to send us into the break in front.  HT 0-1

Bishops Cleeve started the half on top, looking much more threatening going forward.  Dan Miller made a timely interception in the box when the home side looked to be in and there were a couple of scrambles inside our area and shots blocked.

Game was still end to end and high tempo and probably could have been left to flow even more if the ref wasn't so fussy about giving soft fouls for either side.  Charlie Wagstaffe's shot was saved and then Dan Miller headed narrowly wide at the far post, before the home side had another spell of pressure.

On 56 mins, a shot from the edge of the box was skewed sideways, but it found another Cleeve player just outside the 6 yard box, but his first time effort goalwards looped just wide of the far post.  The home fans were appealing for a goal a minute later when a cross-cum-shot from distance had to be clawed out by Gosney with some spectators and the home bench claiming the ball was already over the line, but the linesman said otherwise.

Boatmen started to take back control of the game and create more chances.  On 63 mins, Sami ran between two defenders on the left side of the area as they tried to sandwich him, but to everyones surprise the ref said Sami had fouled the players, when it looked the other way round!

Lee Wort had an angled shot saved by the keeper, the ball spun up into the air and on the stretch, D-Dan's header dropped just beyond the post.  We should have scored soon after when once again, Marv had the full back on toast as he sped to the byline and picked out Sami in space, but he flashed his shot wide of the far post with the goal gaping.

On 73 minutes a deep ball found a Cleeve player arriving at the far post, but he put his effort wide.  Lee Wort was to go his first game this season without scoring, but not for the want of trying as he was again denied by Lewis Clayton in goal.  The Cleeve keeper was playing well, but where shots were bouncing off of him, everything that went Gosney's way either in the air or along the ground was sticking first time.  Something so difficult to do on 3G surfaces.

Sholing needed the comfort of the second goal and got it on 79 minutes.  Rob Flooks ball out of defence found DAN MASON, who let fly with a fierce shot from 20 yards that flicked off a defender, wrongfooting the keeper as the net bulged.

D-Dan got his toe to the ball before the keeper in an almost carbon copy of the incident at Chippenham last week.  This time the referee blew up immediately as the keeper caught Dan's foot, although he stayed on his feet and the ball was heading towards Worty for a chance to score.  Again, the question of a goalscoring opportunity arose as the keeper was shown a yellow card for a foul outside his area.

Again, Gosney's excellent handling was evident as Bishops Cleeve kept pushing for a goal, but Gos wasn't letting anything slip tonight.   Rob Flooks got forward in added time and hit a pile-driver that screamed just past the angle of post & bar as Sholing wrapped up another deserved win to make it 6 out 6 in the league.

Tonight was another reminder of the commitment of our players (and those of other clubs at this level as well as volunteers and supporters) who often have to take time off work to make these long midweek games.  Getting home in the early hours and having to be up for work the next day.  We sometimes take that for granted.  FT 0-2

Thanks to Bishops Cleeve for their hospitality and for looking after & giving first aid treatment to one of our supporters (who is all ok now).

Dave Diaper : "Another great performance on the road against a very capable Bishops Cleeve side. Hard work and determination pays off."

Next Game : Sholing v Bristol Manor Farm - Saturday 1 October 3pm - Southern League

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