Premier Division
Pegasus Juniors 0 Slimbridge FC 1
Monday, 03 January 2005
The holiday fixtures did not bring much holiday cheer for Pegasus Junior?s.
Having played 2nd placed Bishops Cleeve in the last game of 2004 for good measure they entertained Slimbridge, one of the title favourites, who are presently in 3rd position in the league table for the first game of the new year. They produced an impressive display in this GLS Football Hellenic Premier fixture on a windy and bumpy Leisure Centre pitch.
The young Pegasus side were unfortunate not to open the scoring with a spectacular effort in the 4th minute when a Slimbridge defender played a back pass to goalkeeper Ryan Chandler who miss kicked his clearance from outside the penalty area straight to Danny Amies, who was in the centre circle, he lobbed the ball over the retreating keeper towards the goal but the ball landed short of the goal and bounced over the crossbar much to the relief of the keeper. In the 18th minute Pegasus created a good goal scoring opportunity when Laurence Helme slipped the ball to Chris Mortlock who rounded Chandler, his goal bound shot was cleared off the line by the experienced Andy Pritchett. Much of the game was played in midfield where Pegasus player Jamie Cuss battled tirelessly allowing the more experienced Slimbridge players little time to settle on the ball thereby reducing the effectiveness. On the half hour mark Mortlock played a wall pass with Amies before firing a shot at Chandler. Just before half time Slimbridge were denied a goal scoring chance when Scott Hodgetts punched the ball clear off the head of Craig Cole from a Rich Evans cross.
Half Time: 0-0
Slimbridge changed their style of play in the second half spreading the play down the flanks in order to reduce the tenacity and effectiveness of Cuss, however, Paul Brown remained solid at the heart of the defence as the visitors tried to penetrate the home defence. Such was the strength and determination of the Hereford side it took the visitors twenty five minutes to threaten Hodgetts in goal and then the ball was cleared from a corner kick. After 30 minutes of the half Slimbridge stopped a Pegasus attack on the right, Steve Badham hit a long cross to the far post where Matt Green ghosted in to head the ball back to Freeman who had minutes previously replaced Evans to head the ball into the net out of the reach of Hodgetts. Pegasus battled for the remaining quarter of an hour to regain parity but the visitors defence and in particular captain Andy Pritchett stood firm to ensure Slimbridge remained in third place in the league table.
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