MATCH REPORT

SOUTH WEST PENISNSULA LEAGUE - DIVISION ONE (EAST)

SATURDAY 8 MARCH 2008

BUDLEIGH SALTERTON   (1)  2	v	GALMPTON (0) 0
BYRNE HALL

This was not a good day for stylish football, the strong cross winds did nothing for either team and made life for the goalkeepers a nightmare, but the home side coped better with the conditions. Salterton started as they meant to go on and after only a minute Williams forced a corner on the right and from the resultant ball in, Brett Wright shot just wide of the target. Budleigh forced the pace thereafter and on ten minutes Williams shot over the bar from the right of goal. Two minutes later the visitors’ Number 4 received a booking for a back handed slap to the face of Williams which kept him going on and off the pitch for the next 10 minutes before the nose bleed stopped. The resultant free kick produced little, but the pressure was still mainly on the visitors. However by the half hour mark Galmpton were forcing their way more into the game and Keeper Chris Wright was forced into a double save, punching a cross clear, but then scrambling back to save a shot when his clearance fell to Galmpton. Moments later Wilkes came charging back to dispossess a visiting forward lining up a shot in front of a near open goal. However the effective resistance from the visitors was short lived and on 39 minutes Byrne put Salterton ahead, firing a cross from the right into the visitors’ net.

The second half saw much of the pressure in the same direction, but by this time the swirling wind seemed to make it even more difficult to play controlled football. Nevertheless on 55 minutes Williams worked hard on the right hand touchline to beat a defender and keep the ball in play. His cross was fed further left by an attacker in front of the keeper and Hall fired it low and hard past the keeper to make it two.

This pattern was repeated for most of rest of the game, Salterton on top but with occasional forays from Galmpton. Chris Wright pulled off a couple of very good saves in the last 10 minutes, but the result was never in question.

Subs: Danny Minto, Ashley Barker and Carl Everest. (aLL played)

Report by John Nettleton