Tough Result

An away game versus local rivals and top of the table was in order for this week. Bridgwater took a team that had lost players through injury and illness, but coach (Alan Baldwin) was back, with Dan Buller helping from the sidelines.

Bridgwater knew it would be a tough game and this was proved in the opening minutes as Taunton Vale broke and narrowly missed. Despite this Phil Pyke, James Garner and Sam Thomas all played well in the middle of the pitch and helped out at the back. Despite being under the pump, Luke Otley made several key tackles but Taunton Vale broke the deadlock with a well worked goal. Christian Durkin made a couple of good saves with Steve Morrish and James Kettlewell keeping Vale at bay. Vale ramped up their attacks and quickly found two more goals. Baldwin came in the defence and helped shore things up. Meanwhile Bridgwater did manage a couple of breaks as Toby Knight looked strong down the left, Sam Stacey made some breaks down the right with James Harmer and Steve Miller up front finding possession hard to come by, but made the best effort with what they had. Vale passed and moved the ball a lot better and found themselves six ahead by half time.

Bridgwater decided to change the game plan a little and aimed to keep hold of the ball. This lasted for about a minute (!), but they were trying to play the right way and sometimes things do go wrong. Pyke carried on playing solidly in the middle of the pitch as Thomas played well against a very strong Vale middle. Garner and Miller came close to a goal but Vale continued to be strong and faster to all the balls scoring three more to take the tally to double figures. Harmer narrowly missed a chance to get his first goal. Otley and Baldwin battled hard at the back with Knight falling into a makeshift defender to help keep Vale at ten.

It was a shame to not get a goal, but credit to Bridgwater who didn’t capitulate to lose by more, thank you to Dan Buller for supporting from the side-lines and to everyone who played through illness and injury. MOM was close with Luke Otley second to Alan Baldwin.