Recent poor weather in Bradley Stoke and other local areas stopped local sport over the weekend due to waterlogged pitches and other poor conditions. All four Bradley Stoke Town FC Saturday teams’ games were cancelled, two of which were due to be played at the Jubilee Centre. Rain and boggy football pitches also restricted the amount of youth football on the Sunday morning.
There were, however, a couple of teams who managed to play their games at away venues, such as the Bradley Stoke Youth FC (BSYFC) U11 Girls who travelled to Portishead with the hope of keeping their unbeaten run alive. Sadly, the record could not stay on its feet as they could only manage a 2-1 loss against a spirited home side.
The BSYFC side looked edgy from the start and Portishead were quick to settle and an early attack and shot, albeit wide of the net, was an early warning for the visitors. Bradley Stoke’s midfield of Zoe Jones and Maddie Hilbert were battling hard but an 11th minute corner proved their undoing when a ball was whipped into the box from the left and turned into the net by an unfortunate BSYFC defender.
The goal did little to wake Bradley Stoke up and they were struggling to assert themselves in the match, but a slick move from Olivia Hood fed in Maddie Hilbert with her shot hitting the side netting. Just a few moments later, they thought they had the ball in the net when Daisy Ackerman slid in a Hilbert corner which the away team felt had crossed the line, but the referee waved play on. Despite both teams pressing, neither could add to the score and Portishead held the advantage at the break.
The second half saw Bradley Stoke go up a gear in search of an equaliser and they had a chance just five minutes in when Olivia Hood collected a Emily Hulbert pass and fed a lovely cross into the box where Sophie Molyneux was waiting, but the striker miskicked and the ball ran to safety. The visitors kept pushing players forward, but that was leaving space at the back, and when a lovely threaded ball in behind the last player set Portishead free, the striker made no mistake with the finish to increase their lead.
Bradley Stoke responded well and with them now playing three up front were creating more chances and with eight minutes left Daisy Ackerman slotted home after Millie Eveleigh laid the ball into her feet. With the clock running down the visitors were throwing everything at Portishead and the home goalkeeper was in fantastic form saving with her feet to deny Ackerman an equaliser and it was enough to see Portishead run out winners in an enthralling encounter.
Running: Sole Sisters North Bristol Running Club
Karen Gaman of Sole Sisters writes:
14 Sole Sisters participated in the EasyRunner Sodbury Slog on Sunday 10th November. Nine miles of mud trails, ploughed fields, a sheep dig and a pig trough all added to the fun of the course in nearby Chipping Sodbury.
Photos: Sole Sisters at the 2013 Easy Runner Sodbury Slog.
 | Article by Connor Summers |
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