Reports

7 March - Wootton Bassett B 1 - 5 Tetbury Town

It makes a change for Tetbury to enjoy a trip to Wootton Bassett and pick up the points from this encounter. The side was unchanged from the last game away at Marlborough so confidence was high and the message was to start bright and not let Wootton Bassett settle. This soon paid dividends when Liam Lavis held up a through ball, then laid it off for Robbie Petch to slot home from 10 yards. It was Petch who got Tetbury’s second after 20 minutes, latching onto a ball in the right hand channel he tucked his shot inside the near post. The pressure continued and on 40 minutes central defender Matt Pellam ventured forward for a Tetbury free kick, his powerful header was spilled by the Bassett goalkeeper and fell to Lavis to score Tetbury’s third goal.

Wootton Bassett had the occasional foray forward but Peellam and Woodman were defending well, and with anything being knocked over the top, Jimmy Eddolls was on hand to collect in the Tetbury goal. With half time rapidly approaching Tetbury got their fourth when Lavis shot from 18 yards. This should have been an easy save for the Bassett keeper, but he dropped the ball over the goal-line.

The half time message to the team was to keep up the fast tempo, not let the game slow down, stay concentrated at the back, keep shape in midfield and be lively up front. The second half started exactly as the first with Tetbury scoring just two minutes in thanks to a powerful drive by Lavis that hit the back of the Wootton Bassett net before the keeper knew what had happened. The remainder of the second half was played out with Tetbury keeping their shape and shutting out any threat that Bassett posed. However, on 89 minutes a lack of concentration allowed the loose ball to drop free for the Bassett striker to toe-poke a shot over the line thus eliminating a clean sheet for Jimmy and his defence. None the less, Tetbury walked away with the points and a fifth game undefeated.

21 February - Marlborough Town 0-7 Tetbury Town

Following an unbeaten run of three games Tetbury went into this fixture looking to make it four in a row. A 10.30am kick off at Marlborough Town FC meant no Sunday morning lie-in for the boys though. The squad travelled with a couple of the regular players missing but the management team of Mike Harding and Steve Neale thought it was still good enough to get something from this game, Arriving at the ground the pitch looked surprisingly good for this time of year, plenty of grass and not as soft as one would of expected from the Marlborough pitch in mid February. Good preparation found the players keen to get started and the positive attitude buzzing around the dressing room was a sign of things to come in the next 90 minutes.

Tetbury started well and passing was accurate, short and quick, which caught the Marlborough players completely by suprise. Harry Jones opened the scoring for Tetbury with a nice finish on four minutes, then Dan Lodge added a second on six minutes. Lodge was to have a very good game, working as a wide midfielder and getting into the Marlborough penalty box when the play was coming down the opposite wing he found numerous scoring opportunities. At half-time Tetbury were 0-5 up with Lodge getting 4 of them.

The message at half-time was not to change anything, keep the shape and work ethic, keep moving the ball quickly and keep concentrating when defensive duties were required as a clean sheet would be all important. Tetbury didn't start at the same pace and found themselves in trouble a couple of times around their own 18 yard box. But Ryan Woodman, Blain Neale and Guy Halliday put in some tremendous tackles and limited the Marlborough strikes from outside the box and making things a bit easier for keeper Jimmy Eddolls. Once composure was then retained Tetbury's passing game resumed and chances once again started to materialise, resulting in Liam Lavis cleverly scoring Tetbury's sixth goal. Tetbury were now getting a lot of space in wide positions and Robbie Petch was having a great game on the right hand side, while Dan Lodge was getting into good forward positions down the left and it was there on 70 minutes that Lodge got his fifth and Tetbury's seventh goal of the game. A good team performance with special mention to Woodman, Halliday, Lodge and Petch for producing an important result to take the momentum into next week's game.

November 29 - Wootton Bassett 5 - 4 Tetbury Town

For the past two seasons Wootton Bassett have been the side to beat, a strong, competitive, well drilled side with a sprinkling of good players. So on Sunday morning with the rain still pouring down we set off knowing that we had to play on a sodden pitch, which might favour us. We were travelling with what I felt was the strongest team available at present from our big squad. If we competed as we had done in recent games, if we defended and attacked on the break as we had done in recent games then we definitely had a chance.

It was still raining when the game started and we went at them from the off. After three minutes we were 1-0 up but Bassett got an equaliser five minutes later with what was a technically superb first touch and volley by their No. 9 from 18 yards. Now we had to show some character and again we went at them at every opportunity. Both sides were trying to get the ball in behind the opposition’s defence and create the chances for the two sets of quality strikers. Our offensive was more productive and at half time we were winning 4-1. . . brilliant!!

The half time message to my team was: “Don’t change anything, start the second half as you did the first, keep the shape, concentration and attitude and we won’t be far away.”

We kept our shape, but not the concentration and attitude. Added to that we lacked discipline and we allowed Bassett to ‘boss the game’, with the inevitable result that we hardly got out of our own half. We allowed Bassett to continually pressure our 18 yard box and as the score-line turned slowly in their favour our concentration and attitude deteriorated even further. Bassett got exactly what they deserved in the second half, a 4-0 win, giving them a well earned 5-4 victory.

Back in the changing room, out of the rain, in the warm, 10 minutes after the final whistle the lads were back laughing and joking again . . . so it couldn’t all have been that bad, or embarrassing and as humiliating for them as it was for me, eh?

October 25 - Purton Youth 3 - 2 Tetbury Town

With three regular players unavailable at late notice, some last minute phone calls and team juggling was required before Tetbury travelled to Purton with a 13 man squad who were ready and up for the battle. Over recent seasons this fixture has always been a closely fought game, ultra competitive and exciting to watch. This was definitely no exception.

On a decent pitch and with the wind behind them, Tetbury took the game to Purton in the first half but found themselves 2-0 down after 20 minutes when they were caught twice with goals that they should have defended better long before the ball got near their 18 yard box. Tetbury kept to their game plan, which paid dividends when Raffa’s great individual effort won them a goal back. With 10 minutes to go before half time, John Read unleashed a shot from 25 yards that flew past the stranded Purton keeper and Tetbury were back all square with their tails up and the bit between their teeth. The tackles were flying in and both teams played some great football, while the enthusiastic crowd adding to the occasion. Then Tetbury were hit with a sucker punch - a shot from all of 30 yards was dipping and swirling in the wind, Jimmy Eddolls who had an exceptional game tried to punch it away only for the ball to swerve past him and drop into the net.

The second half was even more competitive. The Referee, who had a good game, issued a number of yellow cards to keep the game in check. Tetbury made two substitutions within the first ten minutes and the introduction of a more attacking shape allowed them to take the game forward, but despite limiting Purton and creating numerous chances, the ball wouldn’t go in the net for Tetbury. Another flying tackle rendered Robbie Petch out of the game and with both subs on the pitch, Tetbury had to play the last 20 minutes with ten men. However, spirits remained good and the team battled away playing the better football, but alas with no end product coming. Tetbury ended the game with nine men when its Centre Half was removed from the field following an incident with the ball and a Purton player. Although the game finished 3-2, a draw would have been a fair result, but the performance and attitude were very pleasing indeed.