Derby win is a festive tonic for Slimbridge (From Gazette Series)

Derby win is a festive tonic for Slimbridge

SLIMBRIDGE took some much-needed festive cheer as Almondsbury Town were sent back down the A38 without any points on Tuesday.

The win went a little way to make up for a disappointing defeat at Shrivenham on Christmas Eve.

Hellenic League Premier Division Slimbridge 3 Almondsbury Town 1

GOALS from Steve Badham, Joe Tustain and Andy Varnam brought some Christmas cheer to Wisloe Road for Slimbridge.

Town fought all the way but generally ran out of ideas when approaching the Slimbridge 18-yard line.

The hosts were first on the attack and Robbie Colwell was unlucky when he chased past goalkeeper Lionel Fear but saw his acute-angled shot cleared off the line by back-tracking defender Carl Bagley.

Alton Axton did well to dispossess Dan Copeland as he was about to shoot from eight yards with only Thomas in front of him and shortly after, on 21 minutes, Slimbridge opened the scoring when Colwell threaded the ball to Badham, coming in from the left, to rifle past Fear.

A minute later Tustain was unlucky to see his calculated chip over Fear from 25 yards bounce against the bar.

However, Tustain did put his side two goals up on 42 minutes when he ran on to a delicate flick from Badham to slot into the corner of the net.

The visitors were struggling up front due good defensive work by a Slimbridge side getting more and more good possession with the Green brothers, James Cole, Johnny Meadows and Badham looking at ease.

However, the home side had a setback on 71 minutes when goalkeeper Adam Thomas was forced out of the action after thwarting Copeland and taking a knock on the head.

Tustain bravely volunteered to go between the sticks and the Almonds sensed a way back into the game.

On 83 minutes, the Slimbridge lead was cut to one goal when Axton's attempted clearance came back off Mike Green to bobble into his own net.

Showing some character, the home side did not wait for an expected bombardment of their own goal and pressed forward themselves.

After several near misses on the Town goal involving Colwell and Matt Green, Varnam crashed the ball in off the underside of the bar on 87 minutes to secure the points for Slimbridge.

For Almondsbury, new manager Paul Weekes will be disappointed with what his new charges had to offer but will have another chance to put one over on Slimbridge when the Wisloe Road club visit Oaklands Park for a GFA Trophy Quarter-Final against Town in a month's time - although the date is yet to be confirmed.

Slimbridge: Adam Thomas (A Varnam 71), L Sterling (C Cole 71), Ashley Thomas, Mike Green, J Cole, A Axton, Matt Green, J Meadows, J Tustain, R Colwell, S Badham. Goals: Badham (21), Tustain (42), Varnam (87).

Hellenic League Premier Division Shrivenham 2 Slimbridge 0

THERE was little Christmas Eve joy for Slimbridge at Shrivenham, where they finished with ten men on the pitch, conceded a goal in each half and were generally second-best for great tracts of the game.

The high noon kick-off obviously did not suit the Wisloe Road club as Shrivenham went ahead on six minutes with a back-post header from Steve Avenell, following a Mike McInally free-kick.

With very little coherence coming from either side in a first half extended by ten minutes as the referee had to retire on the half hour to be replaced by his senior linesman, the ball was in the air too much for a Slimbridge side short in stature compared to their opponents.

On the interval, Alex Green was denied a goal for Shrivenham by an offside flag before Nathan Haisley twice drove close from distance at the other end.

The second half saw the home side's Russell Byrne hit the side-netting before Avenell headed straight at goalkeeper Adam Thomas following a quickly taken throw-in.

Robbie Colwell did round home goalkeeper Luke Alford but could not find the net from an acute angle and then Matt Green stretched Alford with a strong drive collected at the second attempt.

Defender Jon Embling came off the bench for his second debut, having transferred back from Shortwood United two days previously, as Slimbridge tried to change things around but without much success.

On 71 minutes Steve Thomas scored the second Shrivenham goal from the penalty spot after Green was adjudged to have been held back in the area.

Things got worse for a lacklustre Slimbridge when Colwell limped off clutching his side on 79 minutes, and replacement Craig Cole came on. Three minutes later Cole was red-carded for allegedly kicking out at an opponent.

Slimbridge did have two strong penalty appeals denied in the closing stages, but the game just simply did not get going, and more than a few in the healthy crowd were grateful when the final whistle blew.

Slimbridge: Adam Thomas, L Sterling, Ashley Thomas, N Haisley, J Cole (J Embling 67), A Axton, P Miller (J Tustain 63), Matt Green, A Varnam, R Colwell (C Cole 79), S Badham. Sent off: Cole (Violent conduct).