Slimbridge surge to second half slaughter (From Gazette Series)

Slimbridge surge to second half slaughter

Slimbridge 4 Bicester Town 0

SLIMBRIDGE got back to winning ways with a thumping 4-0 win over Bicester at a windy and rain-sodden Wisloe Road. All the goals arrived in a jubilant second half, with substitute Craig Cole the hero as he came off the bench to net twice late in the game.

This result insured that 'Bridge remain at the top of the Hellenic Premier League, and was just the result Doug Gray's men needed after some indifferent recent form.

Kicking against a strong wind in the first half, Slimbridge found themselves up against it early on as Town surged forward looking for an opener. Home skipper Andy Pritchett came to his team's rescue, heading off his own goaline with keeper Ryan Chandler beaten after a promising Town attack.

Recent signing Leon Simpson looked a threat up front, although centre back Adam Paul had 'Bridge's best early chance, heading a Fred Ward cross over the bar. Julian Freeman then netted after good movement on the left, although the effort was immediately ruled out for offside.

Town then had a good spell of attacking football as the interval approached, with Pritchett marshalling the home defence well and handling several attacks with a cool head.

At the break, it was still a stalemate, but 'Bridge came out looking a different side for the second half, and it was Town's turn to face the strong wind. Early second half pressure resulted in a number of corners for the hosts which came to nothing but, importantly, an attacking momentum was maintained and the lead was secured on 56 minutes.

Jon Embling put a good ball through to Rich Moore in full stride, who beat keeper Richard Darvill at the near post with a rasping drive, with the ball spinning off the inside of the post and into the net. Bicester came roaring back and Hammond had Chandler turning a 30 yard free-kick over his own bar.

Then, midfield engine Ross Casey signaled another bout of Slimbridge attacking play when he audaciously hit a 45 yard effort that had Darvill scrambling backwards, but the shot was just too long and landed on top of the net. On 72 minutes, the home side went two up as Freeman dispossessed Darvill after a Paul free-kick, but his shot struck the near post and ran along the goaline where the ever-eager Ward was on hand to tap into an empty net. With fourteen minutes to go, all three substitutes were introduced and the fresh legs of Cole, Tommy Callinan and the returning Matt Green visibly upped the tempo for which Town had no answer.

Green, re-signed from Fairford Town after a month away from Slimbridge, immediately put Embling through, but his low, well-struck shot was just wide. For the visitors, Jimmy Hamilton volleyed wide when a Casey clearance was charged down, which was something of a let-off. But, at the other end, Cole was to bounce back to goalscoring form with two well-taken goals in the closing stages.

First, on 88 minutes, Ward fed the marksman from the right and it was left to Cole to do the rest, pushing the ball past Darvill to slot home. Then, deep into added-on time, Cole repeated the effort from the opposite flank after receiving a good ball from Green to hit an identical strike. This was a confidence-boosting second half from Slimbridge, although the final score was perhaps a little harsh on a battling Bicester Town, whose drop down the league table must be causing concern after a good start to the campaign.

l Slimbridge return to Wisloe Road for their next match tomorrow, when they will entertain Wootton bassett Town in a preliminary round tie in the Supplementary Cup.

This is the competition that Slimbridge progressed to the quarter final stage in last season, before succumbing 1-0 at home to eventual losing finalists Southall Town. This tie must be settled over the one match, so extra-time and maybe even penalties could be the order of the day.

Slimbridge: R Chandler; J Iatalese; J Embling; A Pritchett; A Paul; R Moore (T Callinan 76); E Ward; R Casey; J Freeman (M Green 76); L Simpson (C Cole 66); L Sterling.