Having beaten senior Devon side Cullompton 4-0 in a warm-up friendly on the previous Wednesday evening, Bridgwater's squad was to be decimated in the intervening four days, with twelve players dropping out for various reasons. The original twenty-four man squad was ultimately reduced to the bare eleven plus one substitute who made the journey to Langport Town's ground on a cold, wet Saturday afternoon for what was to prove a very bruising affair.
The Bridgwater side held their heads and nerve under considerable provocation from a very physical Yeovil side and ultimately made it into the last four of the competition thanks to a Matt Blakemore goal mid-way through the second-half.
The first half had been eventful enough with seven players being cautioned and with Bridgwater rueing a missed penalty. The Bridgwater side generally played the better football throughout the game, passing the ball well in difficult conditions.
After the interval Jason Marsh replaced Paul Hooper leaving the Bridgwater side with only Logan Loveday, on duty on the day as a referee's assistant, as an emergency second substitute.
The front line of Matt Fursland and Matt Blakemore were proving a continual threat to Yeovil and when Blakemore bagged his goal it was to signal a comprehensive collapse of Yeovil's discipline with no less than four of their players being red-carded in a short space of time.
With a comfortable personnel advantage the last ten minutes not surprisingly saw Bridgwater enjoy much more of the game than their depleted opponents. However, by missing a further penalty and then allowing Yeovil a number of potentially equalising opportunities, the wait for the final whistle was more tense than it should have been.
A late injury to Ian Luke could have been a potential problem but emergency reserve Loveday duly entered the fray and injected valuable additional energy to the Bridgwater cause until the sweet sound of the final whistle allowed Bridgwater to reflect on a very hard-won tie.
The League Chairman would like to thank all the participating players, and also Alan Lott, for the professionalism shown on the day under difficult circumstances.
(Story First Published: 21.11.04) |
