Timsbury Athletic 3 Wrington 4

Sometimes, when your plans aren’t working you have to be brave enough to try something else.

Wrington Redhill’s  first away game of the season at Timsbury Athletic was certainly a topsy–turvy affair. It was the hosts who started brightly and keeper Matt Hill had to be alert when big centre half Matthew Brooks headed a corner straight at him and again with a Rhys Cook shot. Without ever getting a real grip in the first half it was Wrington that opened their account when Sam (Parky) Parkinson’s first shot was saved but fell back into his path so he  fired through a crowded goal area and across the line for a 1-0 lead. Other half chances were created with Rory Thomas and Ryan Pugh seeing their cross come shots being thwarted whilst George Fake was  making his presence felt leading the line. Hill did extremely well in saving a well struck shot low to his right. The visitors were desperately trying to hang onto their lead but right on the stroke of half time a telling cross from the right by Luke Seviour was met by the unmarked Ellis Hancock who headed past Hill to level the scores at 1 – 1

It looked as if the wheels had fallen off when just after the break when Timsbury took the lead as Hancock met another Seviour cross at the far post and headed home  to put the home side 2 – 1 up. Wrington Redhill were struggling to find their usual tempo and were not really keeping the ball as they normally do when things got even worse The referee awarded a very doubtful penalty when Rhys Cook fell over in the area in front of Hill. Even the Timsbury supporters were amazed at the decision but Cook got up and fired the spot kick firmly past Hill and into a 3-1 lead.

In recent seasons this would have been a certain defeat but tactical master class between manager White and his eyes and ears in the dugout, Sam Clements and Mark Brown who shuffled the pack and got them playing. Walsh came on at right back and Whitey dropped into the back four releasing Ollie Clements and Dan Ferguson into midfield which was also bolstered by the arrival of Si Hewish with Ethan Williams up front. Slowly bit by bit the visitors started to get a grip all around the pitch, they looked threatening going forward and at the back Ethan Johnson started to get the better of the previously dominant Hancock in the air. Soon arrears were reduced when George Fake stepped up to a free kick outside the box and bent in an unstoppable shot into the top right corner that home keeper Joshua Wilcox could only watch. Spurred on by this the tempo increased and it was no surprise when an equaliser came as an Ethan Williams strike was deflected past Wilcox. The keeper did really well just after when he parried a fierce  free kick from Ollie Clements away for a corner.

The home side were really rattled at this stage and petty fouls were being committed,  Brooks was lucky not to receive even a yellow card when, as last defender, he brought down Williams as he burst through on goal. Wrington Redhill continued to push for the winner and it came thanks to a goal from the ever lively Joe Creese. A through ball down the left put him clear of the home defence who were still trying to catch him as he cut inside and fired past Wilcox to the delight of the players, bench staff and the loyal band of travelling supporters.

The game restarted and was marred by a stamping incident by Seviour on Joe Creese who reacted with a push and suddenly a melee of players got involved but it was really just handbags. Both players were yellow carded and were lucky not to have been dismissed. 

The unsavoury ending cannot take away the spirit in the side to come back to win this game. There were a number of performances worthy of the Man of the Match award which after some debate went  to Dan Ferguson.

Goalkeeper: Matthew Hill

Defence: Ollie Clements, Dan Ferguson, Ethan Johnson, Ryan Pugh

Midfield: Joe Creese, Sam (Parky) Harvey, Leigh White, Rory Thomas

Forwards: George fake, Reece Ferguson-Obamwonyi

Subs: Simon Hewish (for Ryan Pugh), Ethan Williams (for Reece Ferguson Obamwonyi), Matt Walsh (for Rory Thomas)