The team started with a strange 3-4-3 formation, and went as follows:
Lormor, Scott, Mellors, Quiche, Ashley, Danny Lee, Jay, Leigh, Gav, Manq, Gallagher.
Bread, Daz and Gav Bowen were on the bench, and able to visit the burger van at regular intervals.
The referee who looked very very amateurish, but we were told he had his FIFA referee’s badge, got the players to toss up, and once the mess was cleared up, they all swapped ends ready for the big kick off.
Lormor was quickly into the action as he got down well to save a snap shot. It was clear from the early exchanges that the home side were playing the offside trap, even when they had the ball, however it didn’t work in the 4th minute as Gallagher beat the trap and promptly finished superbly to make it 1-0 to the visitors. The Bridge were now well on top and poured forward in the search of a 2nd goal. Mellors played a ball through to Clarkson, who poked his shot wide.
Scott was getting forward at every chance, and had a 30 yard effort that flew just wide.
The Bridge were not to be denied and were to go 2-0 in front on 9 minutes, when Leigh got down the line well, to play in Gallagher, who fed Gav, and despite having his back to goal, the wannabe international finished sharply into the bottom corner.
It now looked as though a rout could be on the cards, Gav again went close soon after, but his long range shot was off target. Finally the home side forced their way into the game, a couple of nice flick on's ruffled the hair a little, but Lormor was out on both occasions to smother the danger. As the home side started to pump more balls into the area, Scott had to be alert to head over from just under his own bar as one looked to be causing trouble. From the resulting corner, the resulting shot went well over. Leigh came to the visitors rescue from the next corner for the home side, he was on hand to clear off the line as a weak header looked to be creeping in.
For some reason despite all this action, I wrote boring in my matchday notes, I may have been referring to something else at the time, but I can’t recall at the moment.
The home side, who despite trailing, were now completely on top, won a free kick on the half way line, when the (and at this point I like to say I try to see the good in all people) mardy number 7, who was also a bit of a ****, was tackled by Scott and made a meal of the challenge resulting in the winning of the free kick, he then went over the top by head butting Scott in the ribs, it looked stupid and petulant, which just about sums up the player in question (The Number 7, not Scott). Quiche who was disappointed to miss out on the first bit of rowdiness, started his own soon after, by being half an hour late for a tackle. The referee would have spoken to our ginger ninja, but as he’d forgotten how to speak, then he couldn’t really do much!
Jay provided some respite from the pressure, with a free kick that sailed into the keepers arms, only for him to grove jet it, into the patch of Gallagher who then required a taxi as he hit the ball over from 0.2 yards.
The only other action of note as the half came to close was the home number 4 going close following a couple of long throw ins, one of which was only 8 yards out, in which he ought to have been joining Gallagher in the taxi.
Half time 0-2
The second half began with Gav having a good effort that hit the side netting, whilst Gallagher got himself in on goal just after but the keeper was out well to save.
Mellors who had wanted to come off at half time, but was sent back on the field to carry on despite complaining of an injury to his right testicle. Bread replaced him as he hobbled off, Scott moving into a back three, with Bread hopping onto the right wing.
Gav and the bit of a **** number 4 had a bit of set to, and squared up for a short while, just before Leigh was replaced by Daz on 61 minutes.
Ganna, who had arrived late, but was still running the line, and doing a fine job, tried to control the ball, but very nearly fell arse over tit, much to the amusement of the large crowd.
Unfortunately for the Bridge, the home side's pressure at this point was beginning to tell, and it despite some superb defending, it looked like the home side were going to score, and they duly did on 65 minutes, following a very biased linesman giving the home side a throw in, which never was on this earth. From the illegal throw in the ball made it's way down the line, past Scott and Bread defending on the left, before being played into the box, to where it was promtly smashed home under Lormor. More pressure followed, Ashley got shoulder barged into the post, luckily he also remembered to clear the ball away before hitting the thing. At the other end, Clarkson took a throw in, which Danny flicked on, Gav met it on the volley, but the effort was always rising and went over.
The bit of a twat number 4 found himself in on the left, and after cutting inside, saw his effort go floating down stream. Quiche made his way up for a corner to the Bridge, but saw his studded effort go wide, whilst the twat number 4 for the home side, saw another effort go wide. As the home side continued to press, Quiche provided a quite brilliant block following a poor defensive clearance which found the home striker in on goal. Jay was also on hand shortly after to provide defensive cover.
Manq came of for Gav Bowen on 85 minutes.
There was a penalty claim on 87 minutes for the home side as the number 11 was sanwiched between Scott and Quiche I think, the referee firstly pointed the spot, then to a free kick to the Bridge, then to a penalty, then finally decided on a cop out, by giving a free kick on the edge of the area. The result was a shot over the bar anyway.
It looked like 2-1 might be enough, only for the mardy bastard number 4 to pop up with the equalizer with just 2 minutes to go, following a crosss from the left, as the home side got in on the right hand side of the Bridge defence, the team sunk to their knees, thinking their hard work had been all undone. When in fact it hadn't at all, as out of nowhere, the action was straight down the other end of the pitch and substitute Daz popped up on the right wing to send the ball flying into the net, and the supporters went wild, I think.
3 very hard earned points, when it looked like early doors as though an easy win would be on the cards, but it could have all gone so wrong (like me losing me notes!)
Man of Match - Ash