This Saturday I had already decided to head West but I was still in two minds about my destination until close to lunch time. At that point, as I had a little more time on my hands, I decided to head for the further of my two games. So, forsaking Falcons v Cheltenham Civil Service (which maybe explains why I managed to tag CCS into a couple of posts), I instead headed back into Worcestershire for the Gloucester Northern Senior League Division One clash between Bredon AFC and Longlevens Reserves.
The two sides have shared a division since 2019-20, after Bredon's promotion. Since that time there have been eight league meetings with Longlevens winning six, one draw and one win for Bredon, which came last season in this fixture. The aggregate score over those eight games is 27-6 in favour of Longlevens. However, that 2-1 win last season went a long way towards securing Bredon's league placing. They eventually finished three points above the drop zone.
So far this season, Longlevens have beaten Division Two Fintan 3-0 on penalties after a 2-2 Reg Davis Cup draw. This was to be their first league outing. Bredon also won in the Reg Davis Cup, beating fellow Division One side Staunton & Corse 2-0. However, they lost their opening league game 2-0 at home to Whaddon United.
Many thanks to referee Edward Lang for sharing the team sheets with me prior to kick-off. As always, greatly appreciated.
The two sides have shared a division since 2019-20, after Bredon's promotion. Since that time there have been eight league meetings with Longlevens winning six, one draw and one win for Bredon, which came last season in this fixture. The aggregate score over those eight games is 27-6 in favour of Longlevens. However, that 2-1 win last season went a long way towards securing Bredon's league placing. They eventually finished three points above the drop zone.
So far this season, Longlevens have beaten Division Two Fintan 3-0 on penalties after a 2-2 Reg Davis Cup draw. This was to be their first league outing. Bredon also won in the Reg Davis Cup, beating fellow Division One side Staunton & Corse 2-0. However, they lost their opening league game 2-0 at home to Whaddon United.
Many thanks to referee Edward Lang for sharing the team sheets with me prior to kick-off. As always, greatly appreciated.
On a very warm afternoon with a surprisingly gusty breeze blowing across the pitch, it was the visitors, kicking up the slope in the first half, who had the first opportunity. Kieran Squires with a good effort that Dan Johns did well to parry away from goal. That early save set a pattern that was to be followed several times again before half-time.
However, the next good chance came at the opposite end after a long ball down the left flank tempted goalkeeper Levens 'keeper Jack Sargent well out of his box. However, after the stopper missed his kick, Guy Brookes was able to latch into the loose ball and try his luck from a very tight angle. Unfortunately for Bredon, the strike went wide of the mark.
It looked as if the home side may rue that missed chance as Longlevens began to take control of the game. Three times in the next 20 minutes Bredon were indebted to their goalkeeper Dan Johns. His superb reflex save in the 13th minute, as it happens, would not have counted because the assistant's flag was already up. However, Johns was not to know that when he instinctively stuck out a hand to save from point blank rage. Five minutes later the Bredon stopper was at it again, producing another sharp block to keep out Tom Spencer. Just past the half-hour mark Johns made it a hat-trick of excellent stops when he had to react quickly to a Abdel Nasser effort from a Joe Haswell cross.
The pressure from the visitors was ramping up and, despite the efforts of Johns, the inevitable goal had to come. This it duly did 10 minutes before the break. Once again it came from a Haswell cross, deep towards the back post. This time Kieran Squires rose to head home from almost under the bar. 0-1. There were cries of offside from the home defence aimed more at Haswell's initial run before the cross. However, there was no flag and nothing doing from the referee. The goal stood.
HT Bredon 0 Longlevens Reserves 1. A deserved lead for Levens on overall play. They could have been two or three ahead if not for the Bredon goalkeeper.
However, the next good chance came at the opposite end after a long ball down the left flank tempted goalkeeper Levens 'keeper Jack Sargent well out of his box. However, after the stopper missed his kick, Guy Brookes was able to latch into the loose ball and try his luck from a very tight angle. Unfortunately for Bredon, the strike went wide of the mark.
It looked as if the home side may rue that missed chance as Longlevens began to take control of the game. Three times in the next 20 minutes Bredon were indebted to their goalkeeper Dan Johns. His superb reflex save in the 13th minute, as it happens, would not have counted because the assistant's flag was already up. However, Johns was not to know that when he instinctively stuck out a hand to save from point blank rage. Five minutes later the Bredon stopper was at it again, producing another sharp block to keep out Tom Spencer. Just past the half-hour mark Johns made it a hat-trick of excellent stops when he had to react quickly to a Abdel Nasser effort from a Joe Haswell cross.
The pressure from the visitors was ramping up and, despite the efforts of Johns, the inevitable goal had to come. This it duly did 10 minutes before the break. Once again it came from a Haswell cross, deep towards the back post. This time Kieran Squires rose to head home from almost under the bar. 0-1. There were cries of offside from the home defence aimed more at Haswell's initial run before the cross. However, there was no flag and nothing doing from the referee. The goal stood.
HT Bredon 0 Longlevens Reserves 1. A deserved lead for Levens on overall play. They could have been two or three ahead if not for the Bredon goalkeeper.
Bredon began the second half in a much more positive manner, with Toby Patterson testing Jack Sargent in the opening few minutes. The strike was off target, but it was an encouraging effort. The introduction of Elliott Miles-Kingston (any relation to former Mo-dettes drummer June Miles-Kingston?), also seemed to liven things up form Bredon.
However, Levens were not too rattled and, despite not having anywhere near as much of the ball as they'd had in the first 45 minutes, they still looked fairly comfortable.
That was until six minutes after the hour. Bredon laid a mini-siege on the visitors' goal and after a couple of attempts were blocked, the ball looped up in the air, dropping in invitingly for Jay Tomkotowicz. Although slightly off-balance the Bredon number 10 struck a clean volley past Sargent into the far corner. 1-1
The goal rallied the home troops. Suddenly they looked the better team, knocking the ball around with more confidence and denying any chance for Levens to respond. Consequently, it wasn't too much of a surprise when, six minutes after equalising, Bredon took the lead. Once again it was Tomkotowicz, this time played in on the right of the box before drilling the ball low past Sargent again. 2-1.
What happened next was quite extraordinary. Whilst Longlevens must have been stung by going behind, the goal served to shock them back into a response. And what a response it was.
With 79 minute son the clock, seven minutes after Bredon's second goal, James Barnett broke down the Levens right before squaring to the unmarked Leo Marsden-Green, who stroked the ball under Johns. 2-2. No sooner had Bredon kicked off than Levens hit them again. This time captain Jack Cornell with the strike. 2-3 and another turnaround complete. Or was it? One more minute passed before another quick break set up substitute Jayden Bee, who calmly made it 2-4.
Three goals in three minutes for Longlevens. That's some way to respond to going behind. Bredon didn't know what had hit them and were never going to get back into the game after that salvo.
FT Bredon 2 Longlevens Reserves 4. A rollercoaster of a second half. Credit to Bredon for getting themselves in front after being behind at the break. Credit also to Longlevens for their response to going behind.
Up next for both sides is a repeat performance, as Longlevens return to Bredon on Wednesday evening in a Reg Davis Cup tie. Next Saturday Bredon travel to Lydney Town Reserves in the league. Longlevens Reserves take on last season's runners-up Whaddon United at home.
Bredon: 1. Johns, 2.Mannings, 4.Smallwood, 6.Hart, 14.D.Turner, 5.Byde(c), 7.B.Turner, 10.Tomkotowicz, 15.Brookes, 20.Patterson, 9.Tarling. Subs: 21.James, 11.Miles-Kingston
Longlevens Reserves: 1.Sargent, 2.Dyson, 3.Barnett, 4.Sherchan, 5.Boakes, 6.Spencer, 7.Haswell, 8.Blackburn, 18.Squires, 10.Cornell(c), 11.Nasser. Subs: 12.Bee, 14.Martin, 15. Troke, 16. Marsden-Green, 17.Kavanagh
However, Levens were not too rattled and, despite not having anywhere near as much of the ball as they'd had in the first 45 minutes, they still looked fairly comfortable.
That was until six minutes after the hour. Bredon laid a mini-siege on the visitors' goal and after a couple of attempts were blocked, the ball looped up in the air, dropping in invitingly for Jay Tomkotowicz. Although slightly off-balance the Bredon number 10 struck a clean volley past Sargent into the far corner. 1-1
The goal rallied the home troops. Suddenly they looked the better team, knocking the ball around with more confidence and denying any chance for Levens to respond. Consequently, it wasn't too much of a surprise when, six minutes after equalising, Bredon took the lead. Once again it was Tomkotowicz, this time played in on the right of the box before drilling the ball low past Sargent again. 2-1.
What happened next was quite extraordinary. Whilst Longlevens must have been stung by going behind, the goal served to shock them back into a response. And what a response it was.
With 79 minute son the clock, seven minutes after Bredon's second goal, James Barnett broke down the Levens right before squaring to the unmarked Leo Marsden-Green, who stroked the ball under Johns. 2-2. No sooner had Bredon kicked off than Levens hit them again. This time captain Jack Cornell with the strike. 2-3 and another turnaround complete. Or was it? One more minute passed before another quick break set up substitute Jayden Bee, who calmly made it 2-4.
Three goals in three minutes for Longlevens. That's some way to respond to going behind. Bredon didn't know what had hit them and were never going to get back into the game after that salvo.
FT Bredon 2 Longlevens Reserves 4. A rollercoaster of a second half. Credit to Bredon for getting themselves in front after being behind at the break. Credit also to Longlevens for their response to going behind.
Up next for both sides is a repeat performance, as Longlevens return to Bredon on Wednesday evening in a Reg Davis Cup tie. Next Saturday Bredon travel to Lydney Town Reserves in the league. Longlevens Reserves take on last season's runners-up Whaddon United at home.
Bredon: 1. Johns, 2.Mannings, 4.Smallwood, 6.Hart, 14.D.Turner, 5.Byde(c), 7.B.Turner, 10.Tomkotowicz, 15.Brookes, 20.Patterson, 9.Tarling. Subs: 21.James, 11.Miles-Kingston
Longlevens Reserves: 1.Sargent, 2.Dyson, 3.Barnett, 4.Sherchan, 5.Boakes, 6.Spencer, 7.Haswell, 8.Blackburn, 18.Squires, 10.Cornell(c), 11.Nasser. Subs: 12.Bee, 14.Martin, 15. Troke, 16. Marsden-Green, 17.Kavanagh
Bredon Playing Fields
The Ground
Bredon Playing Fields are just to the East of Bredon village and a few miles North of Tewkesbury. It's the home of not only the football club but also Bredon Star Rugby Club and Bredon Bowling Club. There are also tennis courts and an outdoor basketball court, as well as a kid's playground at the far end. There's a medium sized car park alongside the bowling club which looks out over the football pitch. There appears to be two clubhouses one for football, one for rugby (which has a balcony looking over the pitches). There's no spectator facilities around the pitch aside from the usual respect ropes, although there are a few benches that have a view of the action. The pitch itself slopes a little away from the clubhouse end and, probably due to the recent hot weather, was quite dry, dusty and uneven in places. Not really that surprising at this time of year.
Ground Number: 454
Att:
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A
Bredon Playing Fields are just to the East of Bredon village and a few miles North of Tewkesbury. It's the home of not only the football club but also Bredon Star Rugby Club and Bredon Bowling Club. There are also tennis courts and an outdoor basketball court, as well as a kid's playground at the far end. There's a medium sized car park alongside the bowling club which looks out over the football pitch. There appears to be two clubhouses one for football, one for rugby (which has a balcony looking over the pitches). There's no spectator facilities around the pitch aside from the usual respect ropes, although there are a few benches that have a view of the action. The pitch itself slopes a little away from the clubhouse end and, probably due to the recent hot weather, was quite dry, dusty and uneven in places. Not really that surprising at this time of year.
Ground Number: 454
Att:
Entrance: N/A
Programme: N/A
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