Will Collins scored a sublime hat-trick as Bridgwater United thrashed Brislington 6-2 at Fairfax Park on Tuesday night.

In soggy conditions, the Robins dominated the match with Ryan Crawford, Toby Lawrence and Lloyd Mills all joining Collins on the scoresheet.

The emphatic result sees Bridgwater back on track in the league and keeps them in the hunt for the title, now just a point off the top.

FIRST HALF

On a cold, damp evening at Fairfax Park, Bridgwater came out of the blocks flying, wasting no time in asserting themselves on the pitch.

Just three minutes in, having already created openings, Bridgwater struck the first blow of the evening as Ryan Crawford latched onto a loose back-pass by a Brislington defender, gathering the ball and remaining composed to open the scoring.

Despite the game having barely started, the Robins were clearly a level up from their opponents and they added to their early woes soon after the opener.

Will Collins, ever the goal threat, made a darting run across the box to connect with Jake Llewellyn’s corner, heading across the keeper who stood little chance and making it 2-0 within the first ten minutes of the match.

Unrelenting, Bridgwater kept pushing forward, seeking to put the game to bed as early as possible.

With 14 minutes on the clock, Collins doubled his tally for the evening, making it 3-0 with a lovely effort inside the box. There were calls for him to shoot from range, however, backing his own ability, he chose to skip past the visitors’ defence before unleashing his goal-bound shot.

It had been a breathless start from the Robins, finding themselves three goals up in the opening period and fully deserving of the lead. They had dragged the visitors around the pitch, controlling every aspect of play and responding in full to their disappointing result from the weekend.

As the game finally began to settle, a blight on Bridgwater’s impressive start arose as Sam Stayt was forced off a little over 20 minutes in, seemingly struggling with his hamstring.

Not long after, and with their first moment of real quality in the game, Brislington pulled a goal back, making it 3-1 with a tidy finish into the bottom corner after their striker was played through on goal.

Not put off by the setback, the Robins went back on the attack immediately after the restart as Jacob Spence headed narrowly wide after connecting with Jake Llewellyn’s looping free kick.

Minutes later, Will Collins completed his first-half hat-trick with another delightful finish. Receiving the ball on the right-hand side, Collins cut back onto his left and shot from the edge of the box to beat the opposition keeper and in doing so, take his overall tally for the season to 21 goals.

Bridgwater continued to dominate play right up until the break. Though they could not find the back of the net again, they were firmly in the driving seat at 4-1 up.

HALF TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 4-1 BRISLINGTON

Going into the break, Dave Pearse and his players could be delighted with how the first half had played out.

Coming off the previous match, both players and coaches would have been looking for a reaction – something they duly got. It also set the Robins up for a positive swing in goal difference, something they would look to add to in the second half.

SECOND HALF

Returning for the second period, conditions had not improved meaning the pitch would likely remain challenging and slippery throughout.

So it proved, as Bridgwater could not replicate their fast start from the first half, instead engaging in a bitty, stop-start affair which lacked the same intensity from before.

As both sides battled, it was Brislington who capitalised on a mistake at the back from Bridgwater’s defenders. After winning the ball, the first effort crashed into the post though the rebound fell into the path of another visiting forward who made no mistake – making it 4-2 only a few minutes after the break.

Despite conceding another, the Robins saw off any chance of a comeback from the opposition, not incurring any serious threats on goal and continuing to battle as the rain poured down.

Recognising the increasing physical nature of the match, both Shea Mannings and Lloyd Mills entered the fray with roughly 30 minutes left.

Whilst Bridgwater had taken their foot off the gas, lacking the intensity of the first 45, they still proved to be a threat from set pieces throughout the game.

After Brislington failed to clear a free kick, the ball fell to the feet of Toby Lawrence who, from close range, added a fifth for the Robins.

From that point on, Bridgwater were largely untroubled by the visitors who knew that the game was out of reach, instead going back on the hunt for another goal to extend their lead.

That goal came in the final ten minutes when the opposition goalkeeper could only parry a shot from distance straight into the path of the unmarked Lloyd Mills. With time on the ball, Mills calmly slotted it into the net and wrapped up the match.

FULL TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 6-2 BRISLINGTON

The referee brought the match to a close with the Robins coming away as 6-2 victors, securing all three points in an impressive manner considering the blistering start and Collins’ hat-trick amidst the wet, cold backdrop of the game.

Post-match, Dave Pearse gave his thoughts on proceedings, stating: “First half an hour we got a reaction, definitely. Good attacking football, we took our goals really well. It was just one of those games where you can go and score six, seven, eight or it becomes really scrappy and I felt for spells in the game we were quite sloppy.”

Up next, the Robins host Liskeard Athletic on Saturday 14th November with kick-off at 3pm.

#WeAreUnited

By Archie Mills