Wrington Redhill 5 – Clutton 3

Sam Clements took command of this week’s game in the absence of Leigh White and Mark Brown and was well pleased with the performance of the squad.

In blistering heat Wrington and Redhill got off to a cracking start in this second pre-season game against Somerset County League Premier Division side Clutton. The first half was full of flowing slick passing movements with mobility off the ball reflecting the hard work on the training ground in style of play.

In the opening quarter Chris Bradley was in dominant mood from the central defensive role urging the team on. With the very capably Dan Ferguson alongside him which allowed full backs Ryan Pugh and Si Hewish to get forward and link well with the midfield. Indeed, it was Bradley who opened the scoring when a corner bobbled past everyone until he crashed it in at the far post.

The dynamic of the performance was coming from the inter passing between Sam Parkinson, Corey Thomas-Barker and Reece Ferguson-Obamwonyi and the anchor of Ollie Clements. The visitors were conceding several free kicks seeking to thwart the continuous attacking moves and it was no surprise that another goal came from such an infringement. Thomas-Barker stepped up and scored with a pinpoint shot into the bottom left corner of the net. He repeated the feat soon after from a wider angle on the right of the penalty area into the top corner.Ethan Williams was rewarded with a tap in goal and his forward partner George Fake was making his presence known.

With regular drinks breaks to keep hydration levels up the heat still played a major part as fatigue set in as the game wore on but nonetheless the focus was on continuing to take the game to the opposition. The visitors scored both sides of the half time break and keeper James Williams had little chance to keep the efforts out and was generally assured in his command of the area.

Joe Creese and Matt Walsh entered the match and made their contribution to the overall performance. Wrington Redhill’s fifth goal came from Creese who broke free on the left flank and cut in goalward and slotted his shot round the advancing keeper inside the far post. Although another late goal was conceded this was a match dominated by the hosts with a final score line of 5-3 capping a very entertaining afternoon in the sun.

Player of the match was awarded to Corey Thomas-Barker for his brace of free kick goals and all-round performance.