De Cymru & The Marches 2

Wotton-under-Edge 3 Cardiff & Met 2

An enthralling home match left Wotton supporters hanging to the final second for victory.

The recent luck needed to change if they were going to end their recent run of poor results, and they knew they would have to make the most of their chances against a good Cardiff and Met D team who were going well in the league.

Wotton started the game confidently, reverting to a solid 4-4-2 formation to maintain their competitiveness in midfield and make them a more solid unit.

However, Cardiff were the first to break the deadlock with a short corner. The ball agonisingly bobbled passed captain and post-man Neil Forsyth - this was not what Wotton needed in the early stages of the match.

To further add to their woes, Cardiff quickly doubled their lead, when Wotton's play broke down on the left, and they played a quick ball into the ‘D’ which was finished by the unmarked forward.

At 2-0 down Wotton found themselves in similar territory to previous week’s play, but this time it was different, this time their heads held strong and their desire was still burning.

With half time looming, the ‘Boys in Blue’ halved their deficit with a trade mark crashing ball from Forsyth, which flew into the ‘D’, across to an alert Greg Wilcox who neatly deflected the ball into the goal’s side netting, leaving the keeper no chance at all.

With the score 2-1 at half time, Forsyth and an injured James Bull rallied the troops with words of advice and encouragement.

Wotton came out for the second half with a rejuvenated belief that this game was theirs - if they had the desire to take it. With a foray of attacks, Wotton won a short corner, and with their routines practised, and a small amount of luck, Chris Price dragged the ball towards Darren Pearce, his unlucky deflection found Wilcox, who punished Cardiff for the second time to even the score.

Wotton sensed a weakness in the opposition and it wasn't long before they had forced their opponents into another error. The following short corner saw a Price shot from the top of the ‘D’ saved by the keeper, but the ball fell to player-of-the-match Ben Butter who finished it off coolly. Wotton had taken a deserved lead, but could they hang on?

With mounting pressure on the Wotton defence, Leo Murray Davey deflected a Cardiff cross toward his own goal, fortunately the split-second reactions of goalie Charlie Thomas saved his blushes.

The score was 3-1, and time was running out for Cardiff, so they pressed high and forced three straight short corners, with the final one being converted as the umpire announced one minute left of play.

At 3-2, could Wotton hang on and claim a much needed three-points? The ball was injected and it swung towards the right-hand post where an unkindly bobble eluded Murray Davey and found its way through the defenders.

But this was to be Wotton’s day, as Rich Goodwin came from nowhere to block the Cardiff forward’s shot.

The whistle sounded to great jubilation from the Wotton boys. The final score has given renewed confidence to the team ahead of an away trip to league leaders Swansea.

Perhaps it was solid team play or perhaps it was the happy news of the birth of a baby daughter to fellow second team player Andy Stockley and his partner Hannah Nichols that spurred them on.