After such a long break without a match it was great to be able to play today in a top of the table clash against second placed Bromley Heath. Avonmouth wanted a good start & achieved it with a goal after only 2 minutes. Following a Bromley attack the ball was played out to Josh Beecham on the right who fed the ball to Mitch Harris. From near the half way line Harris ran at the defence using his pace & power to get into the box & then unleashed his shot into the net past the keeper. After 13 minutes the great start had been completed with a second goal. Harris was again involved when following a ball into the box he was in a scuffle with a Bromley defender, which led to the referee awarding a penalty. Harris stepped up to put his spot kick into the net however the ref spotted an infringement so it had to be taken again. Unfazed, Harris coolly scored with the retaken penalty. With the 2 goal lead Avonmouth started to play some good passing football getting it out wide whenever possible. Further attempts by Luke French, Montel Riches & Harris produced good saves by the Bromley keeper & Avonmouth got to half time with a comfortable lead.
Half Time: Bromley Heath Utd (A) 0 Avonmouth 2
After the break, Bromley came out in a more determined mood & began to get a stranglehold on the match. However despite all their possession during the second half Bromley could not create any real chances. The Avonmouth defence stood firm & restricted the home team to shots from outside the penalty box, which keeper Callum Davis comfortably dealt with. As the game wore on the pitch became very boggy & good football was becoming impossible to play. With the state of the pitch & plenty of tired legs the match became a game of attrition & a battle in midfield. As the match went deep into injury time Bromley managed to win a corner. The resultant ball in was not properly cleared & a cross back in fell to Lewis Sutcliffe who produced a very good finish to make it 2-1. Everyone wondered if there was enough time for another goal but almost straight from the restart the referee blew for full time.
Following such a long break since their last games & despite a deteriorating pitch both teams put a lot of effort into today’s game. It is normally the Avonmouth attacking players who get the headlines but today the defence had to work very hard & with the help of the midfield managed to stop the Bromley team from creating any real goal scoring chances. As we say goodbye to 2010 it is worth mentioning the Avonmouth record during last year. Out of 26 league games played in 2010 we won 25 with 1 draw. We also managed to score 146 goals with only 29 against – a great record at any level of football & one to be proud of. Lets hope 2011 is successful & leads to another promotion this time to Division 1.
Full Time: Bromley Heath Utd (A) 1 Avonmouth 2
