First of all, we need to cover the midweek fixture played on Wednesday evening at Bridgwater College between Third Division title rivals Sportsman and Puriton United. It was a tight and tense affair for long periods before a frantic final twenty minute spell which first saw Puriton take a two-goal lead somewhat against the run of play. However, this only served to rouse the young Sportsman side into a goal-scoring frenzy. Andrew Skidmore quickly struck back to give the home side a vital lifeline before a 25-yard wonder goal from skipper Simon Dodden put Sportsman back on level terms and with their tails now firmly up. Then three further goals from Tyne Govier, Steve Davis and a second from Andrew Skidmore gave Sportsman all three points from a 5-2 victory which saw them leapfrog Puriton in the table into second place and with no way for Puriton to do anything further about it as this was their final league fixture of the campaign.
For Sportsman, however, the campaign had one more outing as they continued to play catch-up on postponed fixtures from the wetter months of the season. They therefore found themselves back in action again only a few days later as they entertained Tor Sports on Sunday in a repeat of this season's Geoff Harvey Cup final. Sportsman again came out on top, this time with a 2-0 victory thanks to two first half goals from Andrew Skidmore and Piers Govier. The three further points gathered from this encounter means that Sportsman finish their season level on points at the top of the Third Division table with long-term leaders Artillery WHB but with Artillery enjoying a far superior goal difference that, under normal circumstances, would have guaranteed them the title. However, the final destination of the trophy will hinge on decisions made in the coming weeks by both the Somerset FA and the ruling body of the Uxella League in the light of Artillery's recent walk-off during the! ir controversial game against Sportsman. If Uxella League rule 12.10 is eventually brought into play then the title would go to Sportsman and Artillery would lose all points gained during the season, finishing up at the bottom of the table rather than the top.
There was one further game played this Sunday, also in Division Three, as Glastonbury Sunday finished their campaign on a high with their third victory in a row, this time 3-1 over local rivals Countryman. The Glastonbury goals included another good strike from Sam Vincent and two from Adam King, an RAF trainee who was definitely the "top gun" in this particular encounter.
(Story First Published: 04.05.05) |
