The Tannery Ground welcomed Bridgwater United for the second time in three games, with The Robins hoping for a vastly different outcome from their recent cup exit. Good league victories against Torpoint and Bradford had us coming into the game looking for three wins in a row.

Personnel changes saw young goalkeeper Croft step in for the suspended Louis Smith, while White and Hamblin were also drafted into the starting lineup.

FIRST HALF

Almost as if on cue, the referee’s opening whistle coincided with rainfall. The slick conditions immediately affected the rhythm of the game, with both teams taking time to adjust during a cagey opening.

The first meaningful chance arrived around the 10-minute mark. A well-weighted Street pass dissected the Bridgwater defence and rounded the goalkeeper. With the goal momentarily empty, the street forward half shot half crossed from a tight angle, it was well cleared by Josh Ford.

Bridgwater responded with a half-chance of their own, Owen Howe rising to meet a free-kick but only managing to loop his header comfortably into the goalkeeper’s arms.

Street’s crisp passing was causing problems, and after 20 minutes, it delivered the opening goal. A swift move down the right flank ended with a perfectly weighted square ball across the penalty area, allowing the Street striker to finish past the helpless Croft.

The hosts immediately pushed for a second and came close when their striker connected with a volley inside the box, only to send it narrowly wide when he should have hit the target.

The reprieve was short-lived. Minutes later, Street doubled their advantage when a loose ball fell invitingly to a player on the edge of the box. Given too much time and space, he unleashed a superb strike that nestled in the corner of the net.

Bridgwater were struggling to gain any foothold in the contest, and Street’s dominance was further rewarded on the half-hour mark. A low cross skidded off the wet surface, evading both defenders and the goalkeeper before creeping in at the far post. Three goals down in thirty minutes, the game appeared to be slipping away from The Robins.

Two half-chances offered brief glimpses of a response. Kyle Tooze narrowly failed to connect at the far post, sending his stretching effort over the crossbar, before setting up White for a strike from the edge of the box that was comfortably gathered by the Street goalkeeper.

Just before the interval, tensions boiled over following an off-the-ball incident. Players from both teams surrounded the referee, who issued red cards for both Lloyd Mills and Street’s Morgan, reducing each side to ten men.

HALF TIME: STREET 3-0 BRIDGWATER UNITED

The first half had been a sobering experience for Bridgwater, eerily reminiscent of their cup exit on the same pitch. Street had moved the ball with purpose, created numerous chances, and been clinical with their finishing. In contrast, the Robins had created little of note and faced a mountain to climb if they were to salvage anything from the match.

SECOND HALF

Whatever was said in the Bridgwater dressing room at half-time had an immediate effect as The Robins emerged as a different team.

Jake White came agonisingly close to reducing the deficit early in the half, his shot across goal drawing a fine save from the Street goalkeeper. In a moment of fortune for the hosts, the ball struck the inside of the post before somehow coming to rest directly on the goal line.

Bridgwater’s pressure soon told, however. The direct running of Kyle Tooze, who had been a persistent threat, finally paid dividends as he beat his marker inside the penalty area before being brought down for a penalty. Owen Howe assumed responsibility and made no mistake, blasting the ball straight down the middle to give The Robins a lifeline.

Around the hour mark, Tooze continued to torment the Street defence, this time on the right flank. His low delivery caused confusion, with the goalkeeper spilling the ball as he attempted to gather. Harry Horton’s effort was goal-bound until another desperate clearance off the line preserved Street’s two-goal cushion.

The momentum was now firmly with Bridgwater, but Street offered reminders of their threat with two quick counter-attacks. One resulted in a low save from Croft, while the other flashed narrowly wide of the upright.

With twenty minutes remaining, Jake Llewellyn came closest to reducing the deficit with a superbly struck free-kick that brought out an impressive save. Howe was quickest to the rebound, but once again, a Street defender was perfectly positioned to clear off the line.

As time ticked away, a series of substitutions and stoppages disrupted Bridgwater’s rhythm, allowing Street to regain some control. With The Robins committing more men forward in search of a second goal, spaces inevitably appeared at the back. In the dying moments, Street exploited this, a tired challenge allowing their forward to dribble into the box too easily before finishing with the final kick of the game to complete a 4-1 victory.

FULL TIME: STREET 4-1 BRIDGWATER UNITED

This was a disappointing display by Bridgwater, and there could be no denying the hosts’ superiority over the ninety minutes. The damage had been done in that devastating opening half-hour, leaving The Robins with too much ground to make up despite their spirited response after the break.

Andy Llewellyn’s post-match comments echoed the sentiments of the travelling supporters -frustration at the quality and drive of the second-half performance, considering the game was effectively over in the first 30 minutes. If we had played like that from the outset, the result would almost certainly have been different.

Attention now turns quickly to another local derby, with Bridgwater hosting Wellington on Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:45pm.

Thank you to all the supporters who made the journey to The Tannery Ground.

#WeAreUnited