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Home > 2007-08 Season > Match Reports > Eastwood Town (20.10.07)

MATCH REPORT

Eastwood Town 0 Bamber Bridge 1

FA Trophy 1st Qualifying Round

at Coronation Park

Saturday 20th October 2007

By Dave Rowland

Bamber Bridge eased their way through to the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy courtesy of a 52nd minute goal from Sean O’Neil at the picturesque Coronation Park, the home of Nottinghamshire outfit Eastwood Town. It was no more than the South Ribble side deserved after a good workmanlike performance against their Premier Division hosts. Indeed, the margin of victory was much more comfortable than the score-line suggests with the Lancastrians firmly in control for the greater part of the game. Impressively, Brig have now lost just once in their opening eighteen league and cup fixtures this term.

The Irongate side faced their fourth cup tie in just over a week, but were determined to progress in this season’s FA Trophy competition against their newly promoted Nottinghamshire hosts. Brig have failed to make much impact in this particular tournament in recent seasons. ‘The Badgers’ were keen to avenge the double league defeat suffered at the hands of the Lancastrians last term and were also looking to maintain the fine run of form they have enjoyed, in what is, their first ever season in the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League.

Brig boss Phil Entwistle made just one change to the starting line-up that went nap against Northern Leaguers West Auckland Town at Irongate in the FA Cup during the week. Neil Spencer replaced top marksman Ryan Salmon, who was out with a toe injury. Eastwood Town were without recent signing from Kidsgrove Athletic, striker, Matty Rhead who was cup-tied.

Brig kicked off in the glorious Nottinghamshire sunshine kicking down hill and tested ‘Badgers’ goalkeeper Ian Deakin after only three minutes when he had trouble in dealing with a Stephen Brown cross. However, there was no visiting forward near enough to take advantage of the spill.

The first real chance of the game fell to the visitors five minutes later when a long throw-in by Adam Tong put Neil Spencer in on goal, but Deakin quickly narrowed the angle and blocked the Brig strikers shot at point-blank range.

Bamber Bridge settled down well with some enterprising football and the Premier Division boys looked far from comfortable. On 15 minutes Sean O’Neil saw his header palmed aside by Deakin following a fine cross from the left by Tom Ince with the home defence in some disarray.

It took the home team twenty minutes before making a meaningful breakthrough when Brig goalkeeper Terry McCormick was forced into making a fine save to keep out a well struck Liam Hearn drive.

However, the visitors looked the hungrier of the two sides and forced a series of corner-kicks as they swept forward with a purpose. Indeed, they almost took the lead on 24 minutes when Porter was denied at the back post following a neat cross by O’Neil. A few minutes later O’Neil went close himself when a quickly taken throw-in by Spencer caught the Town defenders napping, but the big man’s header only found the side-netting.

The ‘Badgers’ rallied from their slumbers for a time, playing some of their best football of the game, and enjoyed a little more possession. Brig conceded a number of free-kicks in and around the area, as the home team forced the pace for a while. A Miles Chamberlain free-kick caused a scramble in the Brig goalmouth but Tong eventually cleared the danger.

Eastwood failed to maintain any sort of pressure and the visitors were soon able to wrestle the initiative back from them without much trouble. In the dying seconds of the first-half Danny Mahoney was desperately unlucky when his rasping half-volley stuck the base of the goalpost with Deakin well beaten.

Bamber Bridge did not have long to wait for their considerable endeavours to be rewarded when going ahead seven minutes after the break. Adam Tong swept a long throw-in across the Town penalty area and O’Neil was first to react, back-heading the ball over Deakin and into the unguarded net.

Even this setback failed to galvanise the home team and there was little or nothing to trouble Brig’s central defenders Adam Tong and Steve Williams who patrolled the back-line like conscientious night-watchmen. In fact, Tong was able to throw off his defensive responsibilities for a time and join in with the attack and was unlucky to see one of his efforts deflected inches over the crossbar on the hour mark.

Glenn Steel and Danny Mahoney strutted their stuff in midfield with impunity and with Stephen Brown and Allan Fleming combining down the right flank along with Alex Porter and the overlapping Tom Ince down the left the First Division North side were well in command.

Little was seen of ‘The Badgers’ as an attacking force but Liam Hearn did manage to bring a good save out of McCormick on 69 minutes with a fine drive. But the big number nine was fighting a lone battle with little effective support.

Young Brig substitute Phil Watson was the days unluckiest character when being substituted himself after just four minutes following an injury in the 81st minute.

Bamber Bridge almost increased their lead on 83 minutes when Deakin saved a Porter effort with his feet following an accurate cross by Brown, the ball going out for a corner. The Town keeper once again came to his side’s aid when tipping over an O’Neil header from the resultant flag-kick taken by Porter.

A late Flurry of activity by Eastwood was fairly impotent and despite skipper Craig Swinscoe going close with a couple of half chances and a Deon Meikle shot which flew harmlessly over from a Chris Shaw cross, they looked a well beaten side.

Indeed, disgruntled ‘Badgers’ manager Paul Cox expressed his feelings at the finish when he made his team stay out on the pitch for ten minutes after the final whistle. But this had been another fine Bamber Bridge performance in a season when everything seems to be coming together.

Bamber Bridge: McCormick, Fleming, Ince, Williams, Tong, Steel, Brown, D Mahoney, Spencer (Watson 77mins - M Mahoney 81mins), O’Neil, Porter. Unused Sub: Telford

Goals: O'Neill (52 mins)

Attendance: 174