BCAFL Division One

Edge Church 2-1 Thornbury Baptist Church FC

Edge Church scored twice in the last 10 minutes of the game from corner kicks as they overturned the Nic Lockett-Chapman header which had given Thornbury a valuable lead in a game that was subjected to fierce wind and heavy rain, bordering on hail as the game wore on.

The first half was a scrappy affair with the pitch already under patches of surface water and the winds were also beginning to play their part. The Edge Church keeper did well to tip over a Phil Loadwick free-kick and dived low to save a Jimmy Cooke effort. Nathan Winner headed just wide from a corner and skipper John Cordle fired over the bar from long range. At the other end the Edge Church winger arrived in the box to fire against the crossbar and squander the best chance of the half before Winner blocked the next effort. Thornbury had the better of the half but had also enjoyed the better of the conditions before they took a further turn for the worse.

Edge started the second half much stronger and Davis Newcombe was forced into two very good low saves, the first from a free-kick and the second from open play. Thornbury were struggling to make an impression on the Edge goal as the game wore on but having forced a string of corners from the right, Nic Lockett-Chapman arrived at the near post to head home a goal for the visitors on 74 minutes and James Ponting had the chance to put the game to bed from a Dan Hooper cross but his effort was brilliantly saved by the Edge keeper from point-blank range. From then on in Thornbury were not only defending attacks from the opposition, but the wind and driving rain was forcibly against them. The hosts were able to capitalise and the delivery from two corners inside the last ten minutes was immaculate. Aided by the storm conditions the first flew across the crowd of bodies and directly into the far corner whilst the second was headed home from the far post.

It was a tough one to take for Thornbury, who sit mid-table having won four of their eight games as the season looks set to be suspended on account of the impending lockdown.