This was Boythorpe,s first game since Nov 30th, and with all the goings on behind the scenes, it was going to be a difficult game for the blues. With Dean Brown given the captains armband due to Turner leaving, Boythorpe welcomed back Lee Walton from injury to the attack in place of the now injured Kev Widerman.
Boythorpe kicked downhill in the first half on a bitterly cold morning, despite this, the pitch was in very good condition,and, it not surprisingly, took Boythorpe a few minutes to get into the flow of the game.
As early as the 4th minute, Masons Arms beat the offside trap and broke through bearing down on Potters goal, but the Boythorpe stopper was alert, and pushed the shot away for a corner. Masons took a short corner and the ball was allowed to travel to the edge of the home area, but the striker fired over. A minute later Higginbottom was caught napping on the wing but the chance came to nothing, from this Walton won the ball, and stroked a magnificent pass down the left wing allowing Wright to win a throw for the home side. Goodwin took the throw, and found Lawrence 40 yards out, he confidently took the ball on, before unleashing a rasping 25 yard shot, forcing the visiting keeper to push the chance over for a corner P. Walton took the corner, and the ball was cleared back to him by a defender, the winger crossed the ball to WRIGHT, who controlled the ball before lashing in his 15th goal of the season.
This signalled a prolonged spell of Boythorpe pressure with Brown finding Bonson down the right wing, who crossed but the keeper saved well. A minute later the same combination joined forces again, and Wright was denied with a great save from a powerfull header. It was then new captain Browns turn to be denied twice in 3 minutes, with his first saved, then firing just over, as Boythorpe caused all sorts of problems for the visitors under seige defence.
On 16 minutes Wright was put clear with a ball over the top of the Masons defence, but although he looked likely to score, he took too long and fluffed his chance. Masons eventually forced Potter into another save from a free kick after 17 mins, when it looked like he was becoming a 1st half spectator, but he saved well low down to his left.
It was no suprise however when Boythorpe increased the lead after 26 mins, a clearance from Potter was helped on with a lovely scissor kick forward on the half way line by Brown, into the path of WRIGHT, who coolly slotted his chance past the advancing keeper, and into the net. The lead was nearly increased again on 28, when a bad tackle on Bonson allowed Brown to find Goodwin on the far post, but he put his header wide.
Another good move on 35 went close as Paul Walton produced some good skill before finding his brother Lee in space, but the chance went just wide, as the visitors struggled to keep the blues attack at bay. It was then Bonsons chance as he was put clear with a superb searching through ball, he raced clear from the half way line, but with 2 players well placed across the box, he elected to shoot, but his chance was cleared off the line by a defender. The last chance of the half fell to Brown, after the skipper was found by Lee Waton, but his effort was saved by the Masons star of the show between the sticks. HALF TIME Boythorpe...2 Masons Arms...0.
The second half started very much as the first had finished, with the home side pressing forward, and good work by Lee Walton and Goodwin found Wright, who had his header saved. On 56 mins Goodwin went close to increasing the lead, but his chance was well saved.
Boythorpe made a change at left back on the hour, replacing the impressive Phil Lawrence, with veteran Mark Haddon, making his league debut after returning in the pre season. As Boythorpe inevitably started to tire, this gave Masons, slightly the upper hand in this half, but it was then cue Martin Potter, who produced several class saves to keep Boythorpe in front. His first coming in the 62 min saving well, pushing a goal bound shot clear.
On 73 mins Boythorpe made the second change of the match with Hollindale replacing the hard working Bonson. On 74 a clever free kick by P. Walton found his brother Lee on the edge of the visitors box, but his effort was cleared for a corner. As Masons became more and more frustrated, a couple of heavy tackles came in, one in particularly was punished with a yellow card when Whitehead was caught with a nasty challenge on the back of his leg, causing one or two players to voice thier opinions. The resulting free kick, taken well from his own half by Hardy, found Wright with a pinpoint long ball, but his chance was put just over.
Potter was again called upon in the 84 min as he pushed away another great Masons effort, he then produced the save of the match 2 mins later, when he looked well beaten with a low hard shot that was just going in by his left hand post, the big man threw himself at full stretch and held the effort and therefore maintaining his clean sheet which was richly deserved, and thus earning him the man of the match. All in All, with players leaving and all the upheaval, on and off the pitch, plus the lack of games for 5 weeks, this was probably the BEST performance of the season, and things ARE on the up for Boythorpe again. FULL TIME Boythorpe...2 Masons Arms...0
