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Saturday 28th January 2006
Bridlington Town 2 Eastwood Town 3
Town failed to arrest their recent slump in form against a much-changed
outfit from the one which the seasiders took a comfortable three points from
earlier in the season.
Yet again they appeared to have been struck by the curse of the second half
after dominating much of the opening period and taking a deserved lead
through the impressive Wayne Wallace.
Eastwood ‘keeper Dan Bryant was called into action as early as the 3rd
minute, as Martin Thacker and Paul Palmer played a delightful one-two
through the visitors’ defence for the latter to warm Bryant’s hands
on a
chilly winters’ day with a 20 yard shot. Palmers’ striking colleague,
Ben
Eastwood, was also looking to get among the goals after 2 blank weekends,
and he looked to have been put clear on 10 minutes by another fine Thacker
through ball, but a combination of Bryant, and a speedy recovery by
centre-back Matt McKenzie somehow denied the Town man a clear shot on goal.
Town went ahead on 22 minutes. Thacker, again at the hub of the home sides’
movement, floated in a left-sided free-kick following a foul on Paul Wilson.
Palmer rose inside the 6-yard box to chest the ball back, and Wayne
Wallace was perfectly positioned to crash a rising shot past a helpless
Bryant. Town almost increased their lead minutes later, as Eastwood made a
great surging run at the heart of the visitors’ defence. His lay-off
found
Thacker, who curled a 20-yarder past Bryant only for the ball to cannon off
the bar and away to safety.
Town were looking good value for their lead, but on 35 minutes were caught
napping at the back. The dangerous Pete Knox fastened onto a through ball
from wideman Paul Mitchell and outpaced the defence to fire past Nick Baxter
for his side’s equaliser. A stunned Town were not able to recover their
composure to threaten the Eastwood goal before the break.
A chastened home side emerged for the second half and took the game to the
visitors in the opening minutes. A long diagonal ball from Carl Giblin saw
Eastwood shrig off centre-back Rich Cooper, and fire in a low shot that
Bryant parried brilliantly. Palmer was following up, and from an acute
angle, fired the loose ball in only for Bryant to again save his side with
a
fine block.
Town boss Billy heath made changes as the hour approached, introducing Lee
Harper off the bench for a welcome return to first XI action. Heath was
rewarded shortly after in the 65th minute, as his side regained the lead.
McKenzie was perhaps unlucky to have conceded a free-kick for what looked
like a well-time challenge on Palmer, and typically, he was made to pay.
Thacker swung the ball in, and in a role reversal of the opener, Wallace
produced a fine flick-on for Palmer to bullet a close-range header past
Bryant for his 19th goal of the season.
Town now appeared to be on course for the points, but Eastwood striker Adam
Kerley clearly had other ideas, and fired his side back in contention in the
72nd minute. Speeding onto a through ball from winger Deon Meikle, the
former Lincoln City and Gainsborough Trinity man jinked clear of the Town
defence into the 18-yard box, and cracked a low shot past Baxter into the
far corner. His side were now suddenly full of running in the closing
minutes, and it was now Town who were hanging on, and looking decidedly
uncomfortable.
In an echo of several games this season, the seasiders drove the nail into
their own coffin in the 87th minute as the defence was caught ball-watching,
and Kerley again raced clear into the area. Baxter charged from his goal,
and dived at the striker’s feet. He looked to have won the ball cleanly,
but the referee pointed to the spot and yellow-carded the Town ‘keeper.
Kerley blasted the spot-kick into the net, and Town were left wondering what
might have been.
With another home game to come next Saturday against Fleetwood, Town must
try to dig their way out of the poor run of form that seems to have come
from nowhere. Not one side has looked consistently better than Heath’s
men
over 90 minutes, and the Town manager will be hoping for a better 90 minutes
in his side’s last home game for a while. They make the long return trip
to
the west coast the following week in what will be possibly the toughest game
of the league campaign for the team, and to visit with 3 points in the bag
from the home match will be a massive bonus.
Teams
Bridlington Town
Baxter, Hyam, Ramsay, Baker, Giblin, Heath, Wallace, Thacker, Eastwood,
Palmer, Wilson.
Subs. Fyvie, Underwood, Harper.
Eastwood Town
Bryant, Smith, Shaw, Cooper, McKenzie, Chamberlain, Lamb, Mitchell, Knox,
Kerley, Meikle.
Subs. Daniel, Hawkins, Davies.