Match Report:
Bridgwater United 5 (Adam Wright 22, Jay Murray 38,65, Jack Thorne 45+1, 65)
Wellington 3 (Joe Wragg 57, 63, Rohan Poulsom 89)
‘The Robins’ were back at Fairfax Park under the lights on Tuesday as they continued their run of home games in this local derby. In recent times particularly, Wellington have always provided formidable opposition and in the light of their excellent recent form; a single goal defeat by title chasing Falmouth Town, followed at the weekend by an outstanding win v Helston Athletic, most expected this game, to be no exception.
United were without the experienced Luke Purnell who picked up an injury in Saturday’s game v Saltash but were able to secure the services of 17-year-old Finlay Croft from Exeter City on an emergency loan.
After a relatively quiet first 15 minutes with both sides unable to gain the ascendency, suddenly the home side clicked into gear as they upped the tempo of the game and were soon causing problems for Wellington defence. Clever work from Jack Thorne, now revelling in his deeper lying role, set up Adam Wright who swept ball past the exposed Jake Viney to put his side ahead. 1-0.
With little to trouble him, Croft had a very comfortable start. His distribution was speedy and accurate and was clearly keen to encourage his new team mates to build attacks from the back as they continued to swarm forward at pace. On 36 minutes, a long Jack Thorne ball from the left found Murray unmarked on the edge of the 6-yard box but his firm header hurried past Viney’s right hand post.
United had no time to lament that missed opportunity as, within minutes, it was Wright who delivered a pinpoint cross to Jay Murray who converted with ease to double ‘The Robins’ advantage. 2-0.
United were now dominating the game. With the interval fast approaching and after great work by Mark Armstong and Ben Griffith, Jack Thorne smashed the ball home to give his side a lead that their dominance fully warranted. 3-0.
The second period saw some early evidence of the visitors attempting to gain a foothold in the game but with negligible impact on the United defence. However, with the hour mark approaching, Murray lost possession around halfway and the ball was quickly knocked long to the speedy Wragg who drove the ball past Croft to give his side hope of getting something from the game. 3-1
That hope increased 6 minutes later as another accurate cross field ball arrived at the feet of Wragg who promptly doubled his tally and closed the gap to just a single goal. 3-2
Was this to be a re-run of the Ilfracombe Town game just a few weeks back?
Well, the increasingly anxious home supporters soon had their answer, and it was an emphatic ‘no.’ Within minutes Jason Quick once again demonstrated his heading prowess when well-placed but was thwarted by excellent awareness from Viney. United were now pushing forward with pace as Jay Murray’s trickery took him away from two Wellington defenders as he rifled the ball home to widen the gap to two. 4-2
There was not long to wait for more as Jack Taylor flicked the ball on to Thorne who, once again gave Viney no chance as he finished emphatically! 5-2
With United now looking to retain possession and see the game out, a final chance fell to Wellington substitute Rohan Poulsom, who powered the ball past Croft to give a final scoreline that somewhat flattered the visitors. 5-3
Apart from the defensive lapses, this was a strong and effective performance from United in a game they dominated for prolonged periods.
Just three games remain. All at home starting with St Blazey on Saturday. Just 4 points now needed to secure a place in the play-offs.
United: Finlay Croft, Finn Koppa (Josh Phillips 78) (Sam Hedges 79), Jason Quick, Mark Armstrong (Capt), Jake Llewellyn, Tom Llewellyn, Jay Murray, Ben Griffith, Josiah McKayle (Jack Taylor 59), Jack Thorne, Adam Wright (Fran Sousa 78).
Subs Unused: Morgan Williams
Wellington: Jake Viney, Mark Cornish, Tom Stone, Keiran Bailey, Jordan Hayman, Sully McKenna, Harry Scott, Sam Towler, Josh Lukins, Lewis Jennings, Joe Wragg,
Subs: Ryan Hibbert, Rohan Poulsom, Connor Noble, Danny Wordsworth
Competition: Toolstation Western League, Premier Division
Attendance: 249
Venue: Fairfax Park
Date: 16th April 2024
Report: Bob Buckingham
