First Team Match Report

Whitchurch 2 Stockbridge 2 On a very wet night Whitchurch came back from a goal down to take the lead at the break and then somehow conceded only one goal during furious second half onslaught from the visitors thereby ensuring a share of the points at the end of the ninety minutes. Ryan Boare was too high from an early free kick for Stockbridge before the visitors took the lead after nine minutes with a fine individual goal from Nick Coates, the striker carrying the ball into the area before beating home goalkeeper Greg Wellman from fifteen yards. Stockbridge’s Dave Allen saw a twenty yard effort tipped over and then rescued his side at the other end after goalkeeper Alan Ralph had aimed an “air shot” at a back pass. Luke Walker hit the side netting for the hosts before two goals in the space of three minutes just before the half hour put the them in front. Paul Coventry claimed both goals first seizing on a rebound to score neatly and then taking advantage of a slip by full back Allen to beat Ralph at the near post. Claims for a penalty when Ryan Boare went down in the area were turned down by the referee with one member of the Stockbridge bench cautioned for expressing his views on same Kicking down the slope after the break Stockbridge dominated the game to the extent that Ralph was a wet and frozen spectator in their goal but it was midway through the half before they made the pressure tell. Boare and Chris Payne combined on the right and when the latter’s cross was headed back across goal Coates claimed his second from close range. Wellman superbly saved a Simon Poultney free kick that he must have seen very late and denied Payne at the second attempt whilst Boare, at the heart of everything for Stockbridge, saw two efforts in quick succession blocked as the visitors did everything but score. Credit Whitchurch for some dogged defending but Stockbridge must still be wondering now how they did not take all three points.