PERSHORE TOWN 5-0 BOURTON ROVERS: THE HONEST, INDEPENDENT, LIGHTHEARTED MATCH REPORT...

 Patient Plums Ease Past Stubborn Bourton

Pershore Town 5-0 Bourton Rovers

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

It was strange to see some familiar faces at Pershore, for not only has ‘keeper Eddie Cox joined since I last saw them play but also Matt Nutt, Sean Cooke (who goes anywhere he thinks he might be filmed…) and Scott Hammond, who was at Coventry United and GNP Sports. 

COMFORTABLE ON THE NIGHT FOR THE PERSIANS...

In all, the Plums were too strong for Rovers, for despite a stubborn performance by the visitors, a patient, possession based Pershore outfit wore them down and although striker Roland Krol netted once, as did replacement Hammond, midfielder Sam Clarke bagged a hat-trick. Goalie Cox made one save for the lens but was then shoved into the net by Rovers’ substitute Connor Hitchman, which was hilarious (check it out on the video clip), proving that even when Eddie has a quiet game, he seems to ends up in the headlines anyway… 

Bourton had a tough decision to make, which was whether to press opponents in possession, or drop back into bands of defensive units but in truth at times it looked like they had been caught between two stools, for the domination of skipper Steve Webb, Jordan Jones and the largely unmarked Sam Clark meant swathes of ball-control by the hosts. Yet it took some time before a brace of Sam’s goals settled the Plums, followed by Krol’s strike, all before the recess.

KROL WAS BUSY AND PACY ALL THROUGH THE GAME FOR TOWN...

To be honest, Rovers kept at it, with little chance of breaking past the pretty solid home defence of Nutt, Kirk Layton, plus attacking full-backs Matt Compton-Brown and Matt Ennis, both of whom were heavily involved supporting the Pershore offense.

Forward Aidan Clark, a home replacement, secured two second period assists for the Persians and just failed to score in the dying seconds with a fine drive from 19 yards which thumped against the left upright.

Sam Clark…  

After impressive visiting skipper Danny Way deflected his first shot away for a corner and he had lifted an effort on the turn over the target, Sam took a short pass from Cooke and whipped a superb shot from way downtown, a distance of maybe 28 yards and the ball soared over the reach of the leaping Rovers’ goalie Simon Flower to drop under the crossbar, right side of goal. 

1-0...

His second goal was from Jones’ right-wing corner and he rose to beat Jack Galpin in the air, 10 yards out and nodded a downward effort just inside the left upright.

Clark then lifted a shot past the right angle of crossbar and post from 12 yards after Krol’s low drive from inside-left had been blocked. 

Still in the opening half, a low drive by Clark was pushed past his right post by the flailing Flower but in reality, Rovers were culpable for allowing the Plum midfielder so much room to lurk in, and thus too much time in possession.

Sam Clark was also involved in Krol’s goal, for he attempted to play a clever lifted return pass to Cooke into the penalty-box but Krol reacted first, apparently onside and shoved a low left-footer past the helpless Flower.

Clark scored his hat-trick goal from his only real shot after the break, which was set up by a rush to the left byeline by Jones and an unselfish pass from Aidan Clark, which the stretching Sam despatched low past Flower from 16 yards. 

4-0...

Scott Hammond…

I was shocked that he was in the Pershore team, not having heard about him for so long but he was lively on the right prong of the attack during the second period. He was fed by a short pass from Aidan Clark and set himself to shoot a low left-booter into the bottom right corner of the net from 18 yards. The diving Flower was likely unsighted though…

5-0...

Flower made a fine save from Hammond shortly afterwards, diving left to push away a well struck drive, again from 18 yards, again from an Aidan Clark assist.

HAMMOND: A LIVELY REPLACEMENT...

More Pershore offense…

Before half-time, Krol nodded wide, then raced clear onto the speedy, thoughtful Petar Tonchev’s pass at inside-left but was denied by the advancing Flower, only for Jones’ follow-up effort to be brilliantly blocked and deflected for a corner by Way. 

Tonchev shot at Flower and missed a 20 yard lobbed chance, for the ball drifted left of goal towards the byeline. Cooke nudged a near post chance behind, Webb, the go-to constructive midfielder,  struck a long shot wide of the left stick and a left-footer by Jones from an angle beat Flower but was hacked clear by Galpin at the near stick. Krol’s flicked header at the near left post struck the crossbar too… 

After the interval, fewer good chances were created with Tonchev, Krol and Jones all firing off target and Krol driving across the face of goal from an angle on the right. The game ended when Aidan Clark’s fine shot whacked the left pole…

COOKE: NEVER SPOILS THE BROTH...

Bourton… 

Grimly determined, they fought well enough and Flower was competent in goals on the night. No offense at all could be mentioned before the break but Cox leapt right, like a cat startled by the presence of a badger, to catch a decent enough shot by Keegan Bowes after half-time, who, along with left-flanker Max Shepherd, showed glimpses of their ability as wingers for the guests. 

Shepherd though hit a very poor late shot wide and substitute Jake Maudsley saw a firm 16 yarder strike a home defender in the closing minutes. 

Defender Matt Rose produced one or two long throws but defenders Galpin, Way and Sam Alvin were under heavy pressure for much of the encounter. 

The final words…

The scoreline wasn’t cruel on Rovers but still their efforts could not be criticised. Their defeat was inevitable and Pershore looked a decent outfit and should cause some problems for opponents before the season ends…

ENNIS (3), ALONG WITH COMPTON-BROWN ON THE RIGHT: EXPANSIVE FULL-BACKS...

Subsequent games could be interesting then, especially the one away at Worcester Raiders on 16th March…

Interesting that with Town in all blue and Rovers in all yellow, Ukraine was remembered at Pershore…

TEAMS:

PERSHORE TOWN:

EDDIE COX, MATT COMPTON-BROWN, MATT ENNIS, STEVE WEBB (CAPT), KIRK LAYTON, MATT NUTT, JORDAN JONES, SAM CLARK, ROLAND KROL, PETAR TONCHEV, SEAN COOKE.

SUBS:

JACK COLE, JAKE CAVENS, JAMES BALDWIN, SCOTT HAMMOND, AIDEN CLARK.

BOURTON ROVERS:

SIMON FLOWER, MATT ROSE, JOSH KIRBY, JACK GALPIN, SAM ALVIN, CHRIS COOPER, KEEGAN BOWES, DANNY WAY (CAPT), CONNOR TEAGUE, JOE BOOTE, MAX SHEPHERD.

SUBS:

CONNOR HITCHMAN, JAKE MAUDSLEY, CHARLIE MAUDSLEY, PHIL COLMER.