Bridgwater survived a second half scare to beat Wells City 4-2 at Fairfax Park on Tuesday, maintaining their lead at the top of the Jewson Western Premier League.

Leading 3-0 at the break thanks to goals from Douglas Camilo, Sam Beresford and an opposition own goal, the Robins were putting on a clinical display.

Not long after the break, however, the visitors scored two goals in quick succession to cause panic amongst home fans and turn the game on its head.

A nervy final 30 minutes ensued with Bridgwater’s defenders having to be alert to a continuous onslaught of balls into the box, however, Michael Duffy put the game beyond doubt in the final moments as he scored to give Bridgwater their fourth of the evening and the win.

FIRST HALF

Play began in frantic fashion with chances at either end as both goalkeepers were tested.

It was Wells who went closest to start as former Robin, Syd Camper, struck the frame of the goal with a free kick from just outside the area. The follow up effort was spurned by the visitors, failing to hit the target and capitalise from close range.

Bridgwater soon found themselves on the attack though, with Will Collins making an early run down the left, cutting back onto his right and unleashing a shot which the Wells keeper turned away.

After that early tester, the Robins did not have to wait long for the opening goal as just minutes later, following another run down the left, Sam Beresford drilled a ball across the box where it was then turned in by a Wells player, giving Bridgwater a 1-0 lead early on.

The initiative was clear from Dave Pearse’s men – gaining the advantage early as they had done at the weekend away at Newquay.

This was emphasised in the opening stages as Bridgwater, not resting on their laurels, went on the attack again and soon found the back of the net a second time, this time courtesy of Douglas Camilo.

A lofted cross from the left-hand side found its target in Camilo who rose highest to head home and double the advantage just 15 minutes into the match.

After the impressive start by the hosts, the game started to settle down with the ball largely being played in the air by both sides with Bridgwater seeking to use Shea Mannings’ physicality to bring others into the game.

Ollie Saunders, making his home debut in goal for Bridgwater, was called into action around the 25-minute mark, producing a strong reaction save to deny the visitors in a rare foray forward in the first half.

Despite leading, it was not an entirely positive first 45 for the Robins who saw Jake Llewellyn limp off after 30 minutes, replaced by Jason Quick.

After a brief pause following the injury, Bridgwater went back on the attack, seeking a third before the break to cement an impressive first half.

They thought they had made it 3-0 thanks to Shea Mannings, only to be denied by the linesman who ruled it out for offside in the build up.

Will Collins then confidently beat his man before putting an inviting cross into the box from the right only to see no one make a clean connection with it.

The crowd could sense a goal coming and it finally arrived when, just before the break, Beresford got on the end of another ball into the area from Collins to calmly slot it into the net and make it 3-0.

HALF TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 3-0 WELLS CITY

That goal brought the first half to a close and Bridgwater could go into the break delighted with their clinical performance.

SECOND HALF

As both sides returned to the pitch for the second half, Bridgwater took Tom Llewellyn off, replacing him with Lloyd Mills.

Collins looked to maintain the momentum from the first half as he continued to cause chaos down the flanks, dragging opposition players with him and creating openings for his teammates, though none were capitalised upon.

After that, however, neither side looked particularly threatening going forward and the game largely fell flat.

Just before the hour-mark, having enjoyed more of the ball in the second half, Wells got one goal back, making it 3-1 with an effort from the edge of the area flying past Saunders in goal and into the roof of the net.

Dave Pearse responded by introducing fresh legs, bringing Sam Stayt, a midfielder, on for his debut, replacing Shea Mannings.

The game changed completely moments after the substitution, however, as Wells scored their second goal in as many minutes with a curled effort low into the bottom corner, making it 3-2 and raising the nerves of the Bridgwater players, staff and fans around Fairfax Park.

Momentum had completely shifted from the first half and Bridgwater were now subjected to a barrage of crosses into the box with Wells truly believing they were back in the game.

The defence had to be resilient in their approach and weather the storm, meeting every ball into the area and clearing the danger.

The defence stood firm for the final 20 minutes, though Bridgwater hardly launched an attack of their own during the same period, instead seeing their defensive clearances picked up and used to create another Wells opportunity.

The game trickled on agonisingly for home supporters whose nerves were not helped by the awarding of fouls they deemed unwarranted.

The game entered its final moments and after clearing the ball up field, Bridgwater raced towards goal where, having been subbed on minutes prior, Michael Duffy charged onto the free ball to slam home the decisive goal from close range.

The goal confirmed the victory for the Robins who had been made to work hard in the second half and in doing so, relieved the minds of everyone in the ground.

Duffy’s finish was the last proper action of the game and the referee blew the full time whistle to confirm the three points and maintain their lead at the top of the table.

FULL TIME: BRIDGWATER UNITED 4-2 WELLS CITY

Despite the victory, Bridgwater will not be content with the manner of the result having been in such a commanding position at half time. With a clash against second placed Clevedon Town just a week away, they will have to be at their best for the entire match and Tuesday’s game will serve as a reminder of that.

Speaking post-match, Manager Dave Pearse reflected on the game, stating: “To go in 3-0 at half time, I couldn’t fault anybody, the way we played, the way we worked, everyone was on it.” … “[in the second half] We lost our way massively with work rate, tempo, quality on the ball” … “Big learning curve but we’ve got three points.”

Attention turns to the FA Vase next for the Robins as they face an away trip to Romsey Town this Saturday with kick-off at 3pm.

#WeAreUnited

By Archie Mills