If Ever A Game Reached A Crescendo, This Was It…
Bewdley Town 5-5 Pershore Town
This battle of the rivers, the Severn versus the Avon plodded along for 40 minutes and then ten goals were scored in the final 50 minutes, although quite a glut of those were netted in the final 15-20 minutes of a quite extraordinary encounter. Pershore shocked the rather disappointed spectators by rattling in two goals just prior to the recess but then Bewdley skipper Ben Priest growled at his colleagues during their half-time conference on the pitch. He wanted an early goal and he got one in the shape of a daft own-goal. Parity was then snatched but Pershore eased ahead twice more and Bewdley equalised twice more, before forging ahead themselves 5-4 with only minutes remaining. And then the Persians nabbed a fifth goal, by replacement Michael Bridges, who was then cautioned twice and dismissed from the field with time expiring…
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| HAS THE REF SMACKED STEVE WEBB ACROSS THE FACE? AND IS BEN PRIEST BALANCING THE BALL ON ONE TOE? |
What a game it was… Looking back, I recall saying on commentary that home goalie Isaac Culver was keeping his team in the contest with a few fine saves during the second period, adding to a good first-half stop with his legs, and in truth Pershore must surely feel disappointed not to have claimed all three points on chances created alone. Bewdley however might consider a point a decent haul, given their deficits during the match but they must also be heartbroken not to have held onto that 5-4 lead for moments longer. All the late excitement, disbelief and ridiculous end-to-end offense conjured up as the blackness of an autumn night began to crawl from the river, itself hungry for stray balls, was never dreamed of by those who had witnessed the rather ordinary opening forty.
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| TIAGO WEEPS AT ANOTHER BAD SPELLING OF HIS SURNAME... |
The first-half defending had been agreeable though with Priest and Jack Wassell for the Riversiders and Sam Clark and Dave Goldsby for the Persians working with gusto but in reality, acceptable goalscoring chances were rare. The hosts boasted speedy rushes by Josh Carpenter, who was well robbed by Goldsby on one occasion, then he lobbed an effort too high and finally miscued slightly when well positioned and having been fed by Simon Rudd. Luke Morris, who was to go on and score a brace of penalties within his hat-trick performance, shot wide of the right post and smacked a wild volley off target too. Adam Beardsmore (later booked) mistimed a headed chance, Rudd had a shot batted down by Pershore goalie Elliot Hart, Matt Kerby drove low past the left upright and the belligerent Tiago Ribeiro fired a free-kick straight at Hart. However, the best Bewdley hit was from downtown by eager right-back Steve Clarke, for his drive clipped the outside of the upper part of the left stick.
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| SOCIALLY UNDISTANCED COMPLAINTS ABOUT BRIDGES' DISMISSAL... |
Ribeiro was booked early on and he took a second warning from the referee also but his outside-of-right-boot passing would often be smart during the second period. The visitors had a few spells when they looked slightly menacing, driven on by skipper Steve Webb but Clark nodded a set-piece too high, whilst right-sided forward Lucas Edmonds drove two low cross-shots, one of which was clutched by Culver and the other flew wide of the far stick. An Elliott Lees left-booter was dragged wide of the right post, albeit via a slight Wassell deflection for a corner, whilst pacy left-sided attacker Jonny Johnson could find no curl with a right-footer, although Lees was lurking and well positioned to his right.
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| EDMONDS FINDS A GROUP OF, ER, JUST HIMSELF TO ISOLATE WITH... |
The save Culver made was from Clark, whose downward far post header from Webb’s free-kick deep on the left looked a certain goal, for the Persian was unmarked and two yards out but the ‘keeper blocked the effort well with his lower limbs. And then Johnson scored… A falling and hooked effort by Edmonds from the right side of the 18 yard box bounced against the inside of the left upright but Johnson reacted first, beating Clarke and Culver to the loose ball and scoring from a couple of yards out.
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| REF: "I WON'T SENT YOU OFF, TIAGO, CUZ I REALLY CAN'T SPELL YOUR NAME..." |
When Wassell tripped Lees, a penalty was awarded to Pershore and Edmonds stepped forth to take it. His right-shoe shot flew low into the left corner of the net. The whistle blew for the half-time break immediately and there was clearly dismay amongst the home players, staff and supporters at what had occurred within just a few moments.
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| MORRIS (10): HAT-TRICK ON THE NIGHT... |
The odd thing about half-two was that Bewdley scored from most of their opportunities, although the first one was a quite unique and slick own-goal by Clark. It all happened so smoothly that it was a pity that a home player hadn’t finished off the chance… A long pass left by Ribeiro for Kerby to run onto and cross immediately, then an instant slice of the ball with a flailing right boot by Clark and the ball ricocheted off the inside of the right post into the net… Odd and fast…
After a chip by Edmonds at the opposite end was too high, another raking right-footed Ribeiro pass sent Morris scampering past Clark and he measured his low shot past the advancing Hart perfectly and the game was level at 2-2. Jon King of Pershore was cautioned but the visitors looked ominously dangerous, for Culver was forced to bat down a Johnson drive and then the same player was freed at inside-left, raced into the penalty-box, slowed, turned and shot low past Culver, despite the attentions of home defenders. 2-3 and the Persians must have felt more secure…
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| A WISTFUL PERSHORE DUGOUT... |
Webb had already shot wide from downtown, Goldsby’s downward header then forced Culver to tip the ball over his crossbar with some difficulty as it bounced upwards, Culver saved well from Clark, Lees had a shot blocked and Culver did so well to advance and save from Justice Campbell, the mercurial Pershore midfielder, although some home fans behind me wondered why Campbell hadn’t fallen when challenged, instead of regaining his balance and getting in a shot…
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| CELEBRATING A GOAL... |
Then a left-side delivery by Bewdley bounced up against Goldsby’s arm and Bewdley grabbed an equaliser when Morris’ penalty beat Hart right of centre. Morris had already miscued an assist from Carpenter but suddenly, the visitors found the net again and Campbell certainly deserved his reward. A partial clearance by Priest fell to Campbell 25 yards out and his curled finish beat Culver into the left corner of the net. 3-4… Surely no more goals could be nabbed? Subsequently, three more were…
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| BEARDSMORE & CAMPBELL... |
Home left-back Jordan Graham, whose tussle with Edmonds was one of the highlights of the match, crossed the ball and I think it was Rudd who nodded the ball back across goal towards the left stick and there was Carpenter to react quickly and turn in the loose ball for 4-4…
Rudd had earlier shot wide of the left upright, following a Pershore clearance and he worked hard for his team. And then the unthinkable happened… Morris fell as Clark challenged him and although the striker fell rather easily, a penalty was awarded. Morris shot his spot-kick high into the centre of the net and unbelievably, the Riversiders led 5-4…
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| CAUTION FOR BEARDSMORE... |
Almost immediately though, Campbell passed to Clark, his low shot appeared to deflect into Bridges’ path and he shot in left-booted and easily from 7 yards for the Persians, to remarkable emotion…
5-5 and there was still time for Bridges to be caught offside and kick the ball away and earn a yellow card, then hack Graham down to earn, er, another booking and thus a dismissal…
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| SET-PIECE DUE... |
And then the game ended…
Wow, that really was something…
Defences certainly became, er, loose after the interval but any pattern in the match was obsolete, as the two offenses hammered away at each of the defences. Culver was forced into saves, that is for sure, although really, Hart, for Pershore, not at fault, must have wished for better fortune. Beaten by two penalties and an own-goal, he deserved better…
Ribeiro and Graham did good things often for their team, as did the Pershore front three but the influence of Webb was noticeable and the display of Campbell deserves mentioning…
Thanks to Bewdley for the kind welcome and the mention over the tannoy system beforehand…
TEAMS:
BEWDLEY TOWN:
ISAAC CULVER, STEVE CLARKE, JORDAN GRAHAM, BEN PRIEST (CAPT), JACK WASSELL, ADAM BEARDSMORE, TIAGO RIBIERO, SIMON RUDD, JOSH CARPENTER, LUKE MORRIS, MATT KERBY.
SUBS:
TOM SMITH, BEN WORTHINGTON, DAN BAYLISS, LAURIE MORRIS, FRANK SHARRATT.
PERSHORE TOWN:
ELLIOT HART, CHRIS TOWNEY, JON KING, DAVE GOLDSBY, SAM CLARK, JAKE EVANS, STEVE WEBB (CAPT), JUSTICE CAMPBELL, ELLIOTT LEES, JONNY JOHNSON, LUCAS EDMONDS.
SUBS:
DAN COTTRILL, MICHAEL BRIDGES, MATT COMPTON-BROWN, ROWLAND KRUL.
