Bridgwater remain atop the Jewson Western Premier League after beating Clevedon Town 1-0 in a heavyweight top-two encounter at Fairfax Park.

An even contest for the majority of the game, it was not until the 79th minute that Harry Horton finally broke the deadlock, scoring the goal which saw the Robins take all three points.

Despite the pre-match build up, the game lacked quality in the final third, however, the occasion was not lost on the players as both teams fought hard with crunching tackles across the pitch reminding everyone what was at stake.

FIRST HALF

Both teams began the game with attacking intention, seeking to use the hype and atmosphere around the ground to their advantage.

Bridgwater and Clevedon both sought to get in behind their opponent early – testing one another’s defence with a series of probing balls which the backlines had to be alert to.

It did not take long for the heavy, contentious tackles to begin as the home and away teams got stuck into each other, prompting the referee to assert his authority and book multiple Clevedon players in the opening stages.

Neither goalkeeper had been tested by the 20-minute mark with corner clearances being their only requirement as the game had yet to fully flow.

The first real chance of the match fell to Bridgwater midway through the first half as they dispossessed their opponents high up the pitch and recovered the ball. Sam Beresford then found the goal gaping, waiting for him to slot home, however, his effort lacked any power and Clevedon’s keeper made an easy stop.

From that moment, however, the game became dominated by physicality and a stop-start nature with both teams giving away fouls.

Any chances that did arise were stymied by the awareness of both defences who were quick to snuff out balls in behind and into the box from set pieces.

It became apparent to those in the crowd that this match was going to be decided by fine margins and taking one of the chances which were few and far between.

Bridgwater thought they had done just that on the stroke of half time as Will Collins flashed a shot across the face of the goal and just wide meaning the scores were level at the break.

HALF TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 0-0 CLEVEDON TOWN

Going into the break with the score 0-0, neither side could claim to be on top in a game which had lacked attacking impetus and had instead been hard-fought by two sides who knew what was at stake.

If a result was to come out of this game, it would not be without either side giving it their all and would likely come down to a select few moments.

SECOND HALF

The second period, unlike much of the first, got underway in a more positive, forward-thinking manner with both the Robins and Clevedon seeking to unlock either team’s defences.

Roughly ten minutes after the restart, the game’s best chance to that point fell to Bridgwater, seeing an effort from a corner excellently kept out by the visiting team’s keeper reacting quickly and tipping it onto the post and out for another corner.

Ollie Saunders was then called into action at the other end of the pitch minutes later – getting a strong glove to deny Clevedon from close range.

Bridgwater’s forwards then began to grow into the game having been kept quiet for large periods previously, they were now finding more space and time on the ball.

Will Collins forced the goalkeeper into another fine save, this time from a free kick just outside the area.

Sam Stayt also found himself testing the keeper with a low driven shot following a marauding run forward, forcing a corner and maintaining the pressure on the Clevedon defence.

Then, with little over ten minutes of normal time left, Bridgwater swung in another corner which was knocked back at the far post and into the path of Harry Horton who smashed the ball into the back of the net from a few yards out, making it 1-0.

Fairfax Park erupted with a 900-strong crowd aware of just how big that goal could be in the long run.

The game was not done, however, with Dave Pearse turning to his bench and bringing on Mark Armstrong, Lloyd Mills and Michael Duffy to help see out the result.

The subs, as well as the rest of the team, did their jobs excellently and the Robins saw out the final period of the match, denying Clevedon a clear-cut chance and securing the victory.

FULL TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 1-0 CLEVEDON TOWN

The referee brought proceedings to a close and the Robins ran out 1-0 winners, moving five points clear of the opposition at the summit.

Fans and players alike will be delighted with their team’s performance in a hard, unforgiving matchup where they had to be at their best for the entirety of the game and earning every single one of the points.

Speaking after the full time whistle, Manager Dave Pearse expressed his thoughts on the game: “It was a pretty even affair…luckily it was fine margins and we got the breakthrough.” … “Delighted to get the win. I’ve got to praise the players because they worked so hard tonight”.

Up next for the Robins, an away trip to Liskeard on Saturday with kick off at 3pm as they seek to build upon their victory and extend their lead at the top.

#WeAreUnited

By Archie Mills