Football: Almondsbury Town crowned champions (From Gazette Series)

FTL Futbol Hellenic Premier Division: Almondsbury Town 6 Ascot United 1

10:42am Sunday 25th April 2010 in Sport By Rob Iles

ALMONDSBURY TOWN hit six goals past Ascot to wrap up the Hellenic League title in emphatic style.

As long as the FA grant Almondsbury one of the 12 promotion spots to Step Four in the non-league pyramid, as is likely, the club can look forward to Southern League football for the first time in its history.

Despite trailing long-time leaders Reading Town by 16 points at one stage, Almondsbury won the league with two games to spare, giving Richard Thompson his first championship as manager to add to the two promotions he won with Yate Town.

The champagne could have been opened after just 24 minutes as goals from Dean Griffiths, Lee Bridson and Sahr Kabba gave Almondsbury an unassailable 3-0 lead, while Ross Stearn even missed a penalty in a breathtaking opening period.

Griffiths scored his second just before the break and Dale Peckham made it 5-0 on 63 minutes.

Ascot pulled a goal back on 74 minutes but Stearn did find the net with six minutes remaining before the celebrations began on the pitch at the end to the sound of Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’.

Almondsbury showed no signs of nerves, although they were helped by the visitors’ problems with their physio, John Gavin, forced to step in as an emergency goalkeeper.

The opener came after four minutes when Stearn exchanged passes with Kabba down the left and crossed into the six-yard area, where Gavin got an outstretched leg to it, only to give Griffiths a tap-in.

On 18 minutes Stearn was too tricky for Ascot defender Neil Corbett and was tripped in the box for a clear penalty, but the winger dragged his spot kick wide.

Almondsbury doubled their lead almost immediately though as Stearn’s corner reached Bridson at the back post and the defender poked the ball into the net.

They only had to wait another three minutes for the third as Kabba cut in from the left and drove a low shot into the corner.

One minute before half-time, Stearn threatened with another forward run and laid the ball off to Griffiths, who blasted in from 15 yards.

There was no respite for the visitors after the interval and Gavin came off his line to thwart Stearn with his legs.

One minute later Marcus Mapstone’s header was cleared off the line by Chris Page following Stearn’s corner and the same player headed just over when Lee Jefferies crossed back into the box.

Almondsbury made it five when a free kick on the edge of the box near the left byline was hit to the far post by Stearn and Peckham headed in.

Ascot pulled a goal back when Sam McIntyre got on the end of Corbett’s free kick down the left channel, cut into the box and hit a shot too hot to handle for goalkeeper Stuart Jones, and the ball was adjudged to have crossed the line despite Bridson’s desperate clearance.

Stearn finally scored the goal his impressive display deserved when he got on the end of a long Peckham ball and hit a low shot from 15 yards, which hit Gavin’s legs and went into the net.

Almondsbury Town: Jones, Williams, Bridson, Peckham, Jefferies, Mapstone (Winter, 83), Stearn, Dunn, Griffiths, Kabba (Blakemore, 88), Anyinsah (Wood, 88). Subs not used: Davis, Matthews.

Ref: John Farries (Oxford).

Att: 69. Gazette star man: Ross Stearn.

Reaction and pictures from Almondsbury's triumph in Thursday's Gazette newspaper.