Bridgwater progressed into the second round of the Les Phillips Cup on Tuesday night, getting the better of Buckland Athletic to come out 2-1 winners.
On a chilly evening at Fairfax Park, goals in either half from Jacob Spence and Will Collins were enough to come away with the victory and secure their place in the next round.
Comfortable throughout the game, the Robins almost looked back to their best in both attack and defence with an injury time goal from the visitors the only blight on what was a routine performance.
FIRST HALF
Ahead of the game, Dave Pearse altered his tactics from previous matches, electing to play with a back-three system and give Bridgwater a new dimension to their game.
Play began with both sides testing one another, assessing the space available on the pitch before trying to stretch one another’s defence though ultimately, both were alert to any early danger.
Ollie Saunders was called into action early on – parrying an effort from range over the bar in what would be the first of a number of solid stops from the keeper.
Bridgwater began to find their way into the match through a series of corners from which they consistently posed a threat. Lloyd Mills went closest during this sequence, seeing his shot fly over the bar after a corner was nodded back into his path.
The game had begun to be played largely in Buckland’s half with the Robins testing the opposition keeper and defence from set pieces, pressure which told just minutes later.
Another corner, this time an inswinger from Jake Llewellyn, was guided into the back of the net by Jacob Spence whose bullet header made it 1-0.
The opening goal had been coming and it proved to be the start of a dominant period for Bridgwater who began to dictate play and consistently challenge the opposition backline for the rest of the first half.
Will Collins, always searching for a goal, made himself a nuisance in the eyes of the Buckland defenders as he went close on multiple occasions.
Firstly, he forced the visiting keeper into a solid save after being played down the left-hand side by Jake Llewellyn before once again testing the goalkeeper with a free kick on the edge of the area.
As the first half drew to a close, Buckland found themselves down to ten with a player shown a yellow for dissent.
The Robins saw this as an opportunity to double their lead before the break and pressed forward with Collins and Jake Llewellyn both seeing their efforts on goal come to nothing and so Bridgwater went into half time just a goal to the good.
HALF TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 1-0 BUCKLAND ATHLETIC
Heading into the break, the Robins could be pleased with their efforts. They had been by far the better side and could have easily been further ahead if not for the effort of Buckland’s goalkeeper.
Looking to the second half, they would hope to make their temporary man advantage count and put the game to bed whilst maintaining their performance levels from the opening 45.
SECOND HALF
Bridgwater returned to the pitch for the second half and immediately set about doubling their advantage, taking the initiative to Buckland.
Jake Llewellyn – a consistent threat throughout the first period – somehow saw his close range shot kept out on the goal line by the keeper before another effort was wayward just moments later.
The pressure on the visitors’ defence had been telling throughout this period, however, they persevered and found themselves back at full strength five minutes after the restart.
Many would have thought the Robins had missed their opportunity to capitalise, however, quickly after returning to 11 vs. 11, Buckland gave away a penalty after Will Collins was brought down in the area.
With the opportunity to make it 2-0 and return to goalscoring form, Collins duly converted the spot kick he won, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and giving Bridgwater a deserved second of the evening.
After the game once again resumed, Ollie Saunders proved his worth when called upon by getting down low to keep out an effort on goal following a rare foray forward for the opposition.
From there on out, Bridgwater found themselves in control of the game, dictating the tempo and knocking the ball around in Buckland’s half without much of a look-in from the visitors as Dave Pearse turned to his bench for fresh legs.
There was little to write about until the final five or so minutes with the Robins happy to see out the game and the defence alert to any developing threats.
Ollie Saunders once again reacted well to deny the opposition forwards and would have deserved a clean sheet for his efforts throughout the 90 minutes, however, as the game trickled into injury time, an effort beat him low at his near post to make it 2-1.
Some late nerves arose, accentuated by the near six minutes of added time, however, Bridgwater’s defence stood firm and saw out the match to secure their cup progression.
FULL TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 2-1 BUCKLAND ATHLETIC
With the referee’s whistle, the Robins could be happy with their evening efforts, running out as victors in a comfortable manner whereby many players gave a good account of themselves.
The result, whilst secondary to the league campaign, also provided a strong platform to build from as Bridgwater looked as though they had regained their mojo following a long break and a difficult tie in the FA Vase.
Victory in this round of the Les Phillips Cup means that Bridgwater have set up an away tie to Brixham.
Post-match, Dave Pearse reflected on the game, stating: “Apart from a couple spells, I thought we were the dominant team. I thought we looked solid, we looked hungry, we looked like we had that spark back.”
Up next for the Robins, a return to league action and a trip to Bovey Tracey this Saturday, 7th November with kick off at 3pm.
#WeAreUnited
By Archie Mills
