Bridgwater reached the FA Vase first round with a victory over Saltash United on Saturday at Fairfax Park.
Despite being 1-0 down, the Robins turned the game on its head, eventually winning 3-1 after an action-packed second half and securing their spot in the first round proper.
Sam Beresford, continuing his good form, steered Bridgwater to victory with a brace after Harry Horton equalised in the first half.
Goalkeeper Liam Kingston also produced a standout moment when he denied Saltash from the penalty spot, keeping the game at 2-1 as the game reached the final stages before Beresford capped off the victory.
Just a week on from the league matchup between the two sides, both Bridgwater and Saltash saw the game begin in frustrating fashion with defences on top and neither side able to carve out an attempt on goal.
Bridgwater enjoyed a large spell of possession in the opening period of the game, trying to get in behind the Saltash defence with some probing passes, however, the visitors were quick to snuff out any potential threat.
It wasn’t until the 20th minute that the game saw its first chance and subsequently first goal when, after being played into the box and spinning away from Dave Thorne, an opposition player poked home to give Saltash a 1-0 lead.
It had been a fairly quiet game until the goal, however, after going in front, the visitors applied the squeeze on Bridgwater, making their defenders uncomfortable and forcing them into errors though they could not capitalise on them and the score remained 1-0.
The Robins finally started to make an impact on the game in the 30th minute when Harry Horton headed over the bar and followed that a few minutes later as Haydan Chambers saw a shot well saved at close range.
Bridgwater had eventually grown into the game and the pressure on the Saltash goal was telling. It finally broke five minutes before the break when, from a corner which hadn’t been cleared, the ball dropped to Horton who unleashed a shot past the away keeper and into the back of the net making it 1-1.
That was all the action from the first half where despite starting slowly, Bridgwater could be pleased they found an equaliser though they would have to be much improved if they were to secure progression into the next round of the Vase.
Heading into the second half, the Robins needed the same type of response from the league fixture seven days prior whereby they came out of the blocks aggressive and looking to take the game away from Saltash.
Dave Pearse clearly told his players this too and it worked just as well as Sam Beresford put Bridgwater into the lead just minutes after the restart. Meeting Tom Llewellyn’s corner, Beresford’s glancing header beat the keeper and put the Robins ahead.
Now chasing the game, Saltash went back on the attack and forced Liam Kingston to make two good saves in a matter of minutes, the second of which the goalkeeper had to be alert to after tipping it on to the post and back out into the box before he smothered it.
Following on from the goal, the Robins found more success at corners as the game went on. Firstly, Mills’ header narrowly missed the target before Spence’s effort just a few minutes later clipped the post before bouncing in front of goal and eventually being cleared.
Bridgwater were deservingly in front, however, with 15 minutes to go, Spence gave away a penalty after trying to play the ball but taking the man, leaving Saltash with an opportunity to equalise.
Stepping up to take the spot kick, the Saltash striker sent the ball to the keeper’s right but it was met by the strong arms of Liam Kingston who had guessed correctly and produced a fabulous save to keep the shot out and ensure the score remained 2-1.
From then on, Bridgwater looked to close out the game by turning to the bench for fresh legs and continuing to take the game to the visitors.
Camillo saw a shot from distance fly wide before Chambers’ effort was tipped over the bar as the game drew to a close.
Then, deep into added time, Haydan Chambers was brought down in the box and the Robins had a penalty of their own to put the round out the game and secure their place in the next round of the FA Vase.
Sam Beresford was the one to take the penalty, sending the opposition keeper the wrong way as he coolly rolled the ball into the net to finish the game as Bridgwater ran out 3-1 winners.
After being behind, the Robins will be pleased to have turned the game around and can be especially happy with their performance in the second half where they took the game to Saltash to come out as deserving victors.
The reward for winning this match and qualifying for the FA Vase First Round Proper is an away trip to Romsey Town.
Reflecting on his team’s victory, Manager Dave Pearse stated, “I thought in the first half we were horrendous” … “I said to them before the game, it’s all about bouncing back quickly, I don’t care how you do it, lets just get the win and we were able to come away with it and we’re through to the next round.”
More cup action follows for Bridgwater as they travel to Ilminster Town in the Somerset Premier Cup on Tuesday 15th September with the match starting at 7:30pm
By Archie Mills
