Wrington Redhill 4 Burnham Utd 6
The lack of a number of key players is no real excuse for the result of this exhilarating and strange game at the Rec. Player/Manager White shuffled his team around again and nobody could have forecast the outcome at half time despite the visitors taking a 1-0 lead into the break.
Most of the play had been in Wrington Redhill’s favour and early on Reece Ferguson-Obamwonyi had his free kick pushed over the bar by Burnham’s keeper Ryan Webb for a corner although the ball was cleared to safety when the corner kick was taken. From yet another corner Dan Ferguson’s effort was cleared on the line. Missed chances are always rued when a counterattack produces a goal, and this is what happened on the half hour.
A great goal saving block tackle by White ballooned up in the air and was met with a strike that crashed against the crossbar and fell to Curtis Bradshaw who passed the ball into the net. This was a temporary setback as the home side continued to create their own chances with a long-range effort from Jack Hutchings wide of a post and from a Si Hewish corner Ethan Williams spins on the ball and fires over the crossbar.
The players were welcomed back onto the pitch for the second half by a brief torrential downpour and no one was prepared for the feast of goals that followed. Early on a long ball out of defence was pounced upon from wide and Cameron Birch played a ball into the path of advancing Curtis Bradshaw who calmly slotted past James Williams to go ahead. Now trying to force the game Wrington Redhill started to lose their discipline and shape and were punished by some rapid direct counter attacks resulting in Burnham scoring five more goals with a brace from Birch another for Bradshaw plus Jordan Costello and Josh Gracie getting in on the act.
Despite all this ping pong end to end play Wrington Redhill contributed four goals, two from Jack Hutchings a great strike from Matt Walsh and Ferguson-Obamwonyi which meant that the visitors were never until late on thinking they were home and dry.
A pulsating game ending in a 6-4 defeat may have served up entertainment for the crowd in attendance but some management pondering will be held before the next game away to Middlezoy Rovers Reserves.
It should be added that in all the melee of this game Sam Parkinson’s cool and assured performance in the middle of the field should not be ignored.

Wrington Redhill man of the match Sam Parkinson

Team:
Goalkeeper: James Williams
Defence: Si Hewish, Dan Ferguson, Leigh White, Ethan Johnson,
Midfield: Matt Walsh, Sam Parkinson, Chris Bradley, Reece Ferguson-Obamwonyi
Forwards: Jack Hutchings, Ethan Williams

Substitutes: Joe Moore (for Ethan Williams)