Weston Super Mare 1 Bristol Manor Farm 1 *
(*WSM won 3-1 on penalties)
Ahead of our big FA Cup game against Wealdstone on Saturday, Manor Farm
put in a good, spirited team performance at a blustery Weston Super Mare on
Tuesday night – holding our Southern Premier League neighbours to 1-1 over
90 minutes before crashing out of the League Cup in the ensuing penalty shoot-
out.
Fielding three changes from last Saturday’s starting eleven that smashed seven
goals past Moneyfields in the FA Trophy, Farm made a bright, positive start to
the game, getting our tackles in early and playing on the front foot.
A long range effort by Weston’s Jarrad Welsh failed to trouble Ben John in the
12 th minute and Jay Malshanskyj’s curling effort looped safely into the Farm
keepers hands a minute later. John saved well in the 26 th minute, diving low to
keep out an on the turn effort by former Farm striker Owen Howe.
Farm forced a succession of corners at the other end and from the third of them
Josh Nelmes met Ashley Kington’s centre with a firm volley to put the
Portwaymen 1-0 up.
Welsh was lively for the Seagulls – forcing an excellent block by John before
drilling a firm strike just wide of the post shortly after. John then saved bravely
at Howe’s feet as the hosts pressed for an equaliser.
Five minutes before the break Weston drew level when a deep in-swinging
corner from the right by the exciting 17-year old winger Ryan Jones sailed on
the wind to the back post where Kington appeared to have headed the ball off
the line. The Referee’s Assistant flagged otherwise to confirm that the ball had
in fact crossed the line and to be fair there was very little protest by the Farm
players.
Jordan Metters replaced Jamie Bird and Lloyd Mills came on for Iain Harvey as
Farm looked to stem the tide of increasing Weston pressure early in the second
half.
A good run and shot by Malshanskyj in the 68 th minute was well-saved by John
diving low to smother. Joe Tumelty turned and shot straight at Luke Purnell in
the Weston goal a minute later with Farm’s first direct effort of the half.
Skipper Steve Kingdon produced a fine block at the near post to deny Howe a
goal against his former team-mates and Seagull’s substitute Jack Mawford hit a
sharp drive just high and wide with just under a quarter of an hour to play.
With ten minutes left Lewis Leigh-Gilchrist shot only just wide with a rasping
effort from 30 yards and Aron Robbins kept Farm in the game in the 85 th
minute, clearing the ball after John saved well from a wicked deflection with
danger arriving at the back post. Robbins was once again on hand to scoop a
dangerous ball behind for a corner with two minutes left of normal time.
With virtually the last kick of the game deep into injury time Weston full back
Connor Davies volleyed a ball into the ground that flew across the six-yard box
but failed to find a finishing touch.
Farm were first up in the shoot-out but both Jay Adams and Ashley Kington,
who clipped the ball off the bar, failed to find the net whilst Owen Howe was
lucky with Weston’s first effort which John got down well to get a strong hand
to but couldn’t quite keep out and Jones sent John the wrong way to put Weston
2 up. Leigh-Gilchrist gave Farm hope at 2-1 but Welsh slammed home for 3-1
before Mason Winter’s fourth Farm effort again crashed against the bar to
render the remaining kicks irrelevant.
The players were warmly applauded from the pitch by the travelling Farmy
Army – out in good numbers again in a crowd of 168 – and the players
applauded back – all of us together as one with a bigger prize on our minds.
STAR MAN (Ben John, Bristol Manor Farm)