Bridgwater United 0 Helston Athletic 0

For the Robins, a drawn game is rare. A goalless draw is almost unheard of. The winner in this game was the spiteful wind that did its best to turn this interesting looking game into a lottery. For example, the goalkeepers found it almost impossible to send a clearance more than thirty yards when kicking into the wind. The outfield players found it difficult to control the ball or judge passes in either direction. Not surprisingly it wasn’t much of a spectacle.

Whichever team was playing into the wind realised the potential advantage that their opponents had, and they packed their defences to reduce the chance of conceding and didn’t want to commit much to the attacking part of the game. So, we had a stalemate at times. Helston had the best of it in the first half and United dominated the second. A point each was fair enough.

Both teams ended the game with only ten players on the pitch. In the first twenty minutes Morgan Williams was fouled five times. He was fouled ten times over the ninety minutes. The Helston players seemed to have a vendetta against United’s combative and energetic midfield player. This might not have been totally unconnected with the fact that Williams won the decisive penalty in United’s 1-0 win at Helston. The Cornish club felt that Williams hadn’t earned that penalty fairly. So, there is an irony in the fact that Williams, in the last knockings of the game, got a second yellow card and a red card, for alleged diving in the penalty box. Just seven minutes earlier Tyler Elliot was deservedly banished for scything down Jack Taylor as he burst through. For Elliot it was also a second yellow card.

Goal chances were few. Stuart Bowker judged the ball better than United’s defence to break free but as he shaped to shoot Mark Armstrong made a perfect, goal saving tackle. Bowker got on the end of a free kick from Elliot and Jake Viney had to arch back to push the header over. Viney also had to block a low drive from Elliot with his body. Jordan Bentley headed a corner kick too high. United, concentrating on defence, failed to register a shot on target in that first half but, at half time, the feeling was that Helston had probably not made enough of their wind advantage. Injury ravaged United had signed up the experienced defender Kai Fisher for the game and he did his job well. He was able to head the ball further than some players could kick it!

Predictably the second half was mainly played in the Helston half. Ryan Brereton, Adnan Hiroli and Fisher were off target with their efforts and keeper Mike Searle wasn’t tested much. The closest thing to a goal was a close-range header from Cameron Gauci, after good work by George King, which missed the left post by inches.

Not a game to live in the memory but United can be fairly happy to have taken four points from one of the better teams in the league, without conceding a goal over 180 minutes.

Match details:

Date: March 12^th, 2022

Venue: Fairfax Park

Competition: Toolstation Western League

Attendance: 284

Teams:

Bridgwater United

Jake Viney, Mark Armstrong, Jake Llewellyn, Ross Edwards, Kai Fisher, George King, Mike Duffy, Morgan Williams, Adnan Hiroli (Cameron Gauci 85), Jack Taylor, Ryan Brereton (Nick Woodrow 73).

Unused subs: Jordan Greenwood, Harry Durant, Mike Murphy.

Helston Athletic:

Mike Searle, Reece Shanley, Tom Hands, Harrison Jennell, Josh Storey, Jordan Bentley, Tyler Elliot, Matt Bye, Craig Veal, Stuart Bowker, Luke Tripconey.

Subs: Steve Cowell, Ryan Beattie, Sam Buckley, Jackson Penhallurick, Max Johnston.

Referee: Jack Bromham

Assistant referees: Darren Cullum, Steven Redman.

Report: Mark Hollidge