A cold and clear wintry day, with no changing room in sight!

The day started on a bad note, as the changing room shutters were broken allowing no access to the nets.
Looking at the possible postponement of the fixture, someone had the bright idea to move to Patchway High School as it was close and available. After the delay of moving to a new location and sorting out the nets, Bradley Stoke got off to a fast start. They scored within 5 minutes of kick off with a lovely through ball from manager James Palmer to Mustapha Jabang running into the box. Jabang then waltzed the ball around the keeper to score into an empty net. With eagerness to score again midfielder Richard Dawes pushed up to pressure the defending Little Thatch players.
Little Thatch's reply found holes in the Bradley Stoke team that didn't seem to have any shape to and had several good attempts going un-rewarded.  Finally, their persistence paid off and the equaliser was scored. An uncleared ball was whipped from the feet of one of the Bradley Stoke defenders and slotted to past the keeper into the bottom left corner. Then, under even more pressure and just seconds before half time, the Thatch players won a corner. The corner was headed away to the top of the box. Jabang tried to heel the ball away, but it fell to a Little Thatch midfielder who scooped the ball over a static Bradley Stoke team. It landed on the foot of a Thatch forward who redirected the ball into the goal to lead 2-1 at half-time.

After a clear half time analysis Bradley Stoke re-organized it’s shape and started from scratch. Immediate results were clear with a more determined mentality to defend from the front and pile pressure on. James Palmer caught a Thatch defender napping, and with a couple of decent challenges, the ball flipped up in the air and fell into the path of Mustapha Jabang in the box who struck it on the volley past the keeper.
At this point the traffic was all one way and it pinned Little Thatch in it’s own end of the pitch. Ben Osbourne was lathing large holes with his speed on the right wing, Roger Smith was throwing endless crosses in from the left and Mark Palmer and Richard Dawes were completely shutting down and controlling the middle of the field. After a few squandered opportunities a low cross from Osborne hit the hand of a Thatch fullback. The referee didn’t blow so Smith crossed the ball back in from the other side and it hit another hand. This time the referee did blow. James Palmer calmly side footed the penalty into the upper right corner of the goal. Then Osbourne made it 4-2 with a break away move involving both Palmers and a final ball from Jabang behind the defence.

More attempts to score were to follow with Osbourne running the ball just wide of the left post and Smith hitting the cross bar from 25 yards. Thatch made some substitutions with fresh legs prompting them to push forward once again and get shots at the other end. Eventually a throw in on their right got behind the Bradley Stoke fullbacks and allowed a run at the near post - the resulting shot was squeezed in at the foot of the near post.
Thankfully, the game was put to rest not long after when a lucky Jabang back header from a good ball from Mark Palmer, after a quickly taken free kick, went straight up into the air over the keeper and fell straight into the net.

Owing to a great regroup at half time Bradley Stoke ended with a good come back win.

Match report courtesy of Roger Smith.