Winscombe “A” vs Wrington Redhill Reserves
Weston & District Division 3
11 October 2014 3pm
The reserves extended their unbeaten start to the season to six games as they completed a comfortable league “double” over Winscombe “A”.
The away side started brightly and quickly settled into a passing rhythm on a pitch made quite heavy by the week’s inclement weather. Winger Tom Johnson epitomised the attacking intent of the team throughout, terrorising the Winscombe defence whenever he received the ball, and drawing countless fouls which were fortunate to go unpunished by the referee.
Despite their possession and attacking threat, the final pass and crucial end-product evaded Wrington until the 25th minute when Chris Vowles received the ball on the edge of the box and turned to fire powerfully past the helpless Winscombe goalkeeper.
Manager Julian Moss was forced into an early substitution when the unfortunate Phil Hartnup pulled up clutching his hamstring. The versatile Louis Rouvrais moved back into the centre of midfield alongside Mick Edmunds and returning Joe Moore, with James Marshall brought on in attack. The striker was unfortunate not to start the game having scored twice in his previous two outings, demonstrating the strength of the squad at Moss’ disposal.
It did not take long for the substitute to affect the game – moments after Edmunds had struck the bar with a powerful shot from distance, the same player aimed a long ball to Marshall, who went to ground inside the box under a challenge from the Winscombe right back. The referee pointed to the spot, and Vowles won the argument to take the resulting penalty in the absence of usual taker Nick Buck. The striker sent the keeper the wrong way to record his third goal of the season and put Wrington in control by the break.
Winscombe changed their formation in the second period to match Wrington’s midfield three, but it had little effect, as two of those three combined to put the game safe within 15 minutes of the restart. Rouvrais provided a pinpoint hanging cross with his weaker foot for Moore, buoyed by his recently announced big-money sponsorship deal, to guide a header into the bottom corner.
Manager Julian Moss will be delighted with the team’s performance at both ends of the pitch – James Vowles put in an assured performance in goal, claiming well from corners and using his box well to snuff out the rare Winscombe attacks. He was supported well by a back three of captain Phil Williams, Callum Briggs and Nick Curtis, the latter making a smart goal-line clearance on the only occasion that Vowles was passed, protecting an impressive third consecutive clean sheet for the away side. Paul Faulkner also provided excellent cover for his defence, keeping Winscombe’s brightest outlet quiet throughout the game.
At the other end of the pitch, Wrington’s fourth goal on 70 minutes saw Louis Rouvrais become a remarkable 12th different Wrington goalscorer in only their 7th game of the season. A powerful header from a pinpoint Edmunds corner capped a fine performance from the utility player, which saw him presented with the Man of the Match honour.
Blake replaced Briggs after an unexpected bout of cramp, and Moore was replaced by McMullen, as Moss’ side comfortably saw out the game and looked forward to a first cup game in a fortnight’s time.
FULL TIME Winscombe 0 – 4 Wrington
Wrington: J. Vowles, Briggs (Blake), Williams (C), Curtis, Johnson, Faulkner, Moore (McMullen), Edmunds, Hartnup (Marshall), Rouvrais, C. Vowles.
MOTM: Rouvrais