23rd May 2012

BRIDPORT FOOTBALL: Westland’s show champion’s style

Bridport Res 1 Westland Sports 5

WESTLAND Sports having already clinched the Dorset Premier League title celebrated at St Mary’s Field on Monday with some champagne football in the first half that saw them sweep into a four-goal lead.

They were helped by a Bridport side that appeared to be awestruck by the champions who only lost twice in the league, allowing them too much space and time on the ball.

A halftime talk put that right and in the second-half the Bees gave a much better account of themselves, showing a lot more urgency and pulling a goal back.

It took Sports just three minutes to score, Steve Burton firing home from close range via a deflection after Bridport had failed to clear a corner.

Playing with confidence the visitors were slick and quick and Bridport’s first half chances were few. They did create an opportunity on six minutes when Tristan Gale moved down the left and crossed low, but Jake Williams scuffed his 10-yard shot straight at keeper Ashley Knibbs.

Westland’s showed how to do it almost immediately when Sam Jarman was released with a ball over the Bees defence, and he fired a left foot 18 yard shot past Jamie Fry and just inside the post before the keeper had time to move. The goal, his 31st in the league, made him the DPL’s top goalscorer and winner of the Golden Boot, and it was easy to see why.

Matt Condliffe fired in a 25-yard volley in response straight at Knibbs, before Gale took advantage of a misdirected pass from Sports captain Rich Lindegaard, but his angled shot was deflected for a corner.

Westland’s continued to create chances, but it was a mistake by Sam Day that gave them their third on 21 minutes. He sliced an attempted clearance and then impeded Fry as he tried to punch clear. The ball was lobbed over the keeper and with two defenders trying desperately to hack clear, Matt Day slammed the ball home at the far post.

Whether mad at his error or not, Day was lucky not to be at least cautioned if not sent off for a petulant kick at Dean Richie that saw the striker receive four minutes of treatment, before being carried off with stud marks visable from the back of his knee down his calf.

Once again Westland’s show their clinical finishing on 27 minutes when Fry failed to hold Lewis Morgan’s 25-yard drive and Jarman was immediately on hand to shoot home the rebound.

The game clearly over, it settled down to a more even situation for the rest of the half, although to be fair Westland’s might have added more to their score.

The Bees came out with a much more positive attitude after the break and looked to take the came to their visitors, and Darren Lock’s persistence was rewarded on 58 minutes when he battled his way down the left wing and fired in an angled shot which Knibbs failed to hold allowing Gale to pick up the rebound to fire home from close range.

This galvanised the Bees, and Ben Clarke fired wide almost immediately before Lock failed to get enough power on Gale’s cross.

With skipper Ash Clarke leading the way in the centre of the defence Bridport took the sting out of Sports attack, but he couldn’t prevent Mike Rousell adding a fifth when he curled a superb shot in off the post.

Day did make the referee’s book with a caution for a foul on Rousell from which he got up and tried another curling effort but this time Fry managed to palm the ball away to safety.

Whilst it was not Bridport’s night, they will be pleased to have finished seventh, their highest finish for some years.

BRIDPORT FOOTBALL: Westland’s show champion’s style

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