Bridge Progress after Early Pressure

26/01/08 – League Trophy First Round

Boroughbridge AFC Res 3, Aberford Albion Res 1

An overcast, windy day greeted the teams for this First Round League Trophy match, a prelude to the same fixture at Aldborough Road in the League at the end of February. A 3-0 win for Bridge at Aberford in October was only gained after a hard fight, and much the same was expected today. It has to be said that Aberford didn’t disappoint, and started brightly, with purpose, and against the fierce wind.

With the game only 2 minutes old, Jonathan Barker in the Bridge goal was called into action for the first time, superbly tipping a shot by Darren Bourke onto the crossbar, the ball falling loose to be cleared from danger. Shortly afterwards, Barker was able to use the wind to drive a long kick down the middle, where it was latched onto by Phil Wix; striding forward he placed the ball to the right of the Aberford keeper, Shaun O’Neill, who somehow got a foot to it to frustrate the Bridge attack and retain parity. It was probably fair, as at this stage Bridge didn’t really merit a lead, all the sharpness coming from the boys in red. They continued to press against the blustery wind, and on 11 minutes, a John Bowden cross from the right forced Barker into action again, collecting the ball under pressure to spare any blushes. Although closer to the foot of the table than they would like, Aberford didn’t play the fall guy, and on 15 minutes a long ball from the heart of defence was picked up by the impressive Fas Boushaba on the edge of centre circle. He was chased by Steve Kirby who initially dispossessed him, only to lose the ball back. However, showing great calmness, Kirby returned to take the ball away a second time from the boots of Boushaba right on the edge of the area, just as he looked to go one on one with Barker.

Although enjoying better penetration on their attacks, Aberford were allowing Bridge to get forward on occasions, and Dave Coffey should have done better from a Kirby corner, turning the ball over the bar when handily placed just outside the six yard box. As the half wore on, Bridge began to gain better possession, but still Aberford were breaking incisively, especially through the centre and the right flank. For a while, the half seemed to settling into relative inactivity, a chess match with both sides struggling to make the best of their own abilities. Stout Aberford defending and poor Bridge finishing saw several attacks wither away, Wix shooting wide from Willey ‘s nod down, and a frenetic goalmouth scramble when anything could have happened brightening up this passage of play. With ten minutes of the half remaining, a long Kirby free kick into the area was cleared but fell to Mudd centrally placed just outside the area; his shot was hit narrowly over the bar. Five minutes later the breakthrough looked to have arrived for Bridge when Tom Smith netted, only to see his effort ruled out for offside. Kirby was attempting to use the wind to drop long free kicks into the area, but despite some well delivered balls, no Bridge player was able to find the finish to trouble O’Neill or his defence. At half time, Bridge could look to a failure to capitalise on possession and an inability at times to find another man in Blue. Aberford for their part, looked dangerous going forward on the break but lacked a clinical finish.

Half Time : BAFC Res 0, Aberford Albion Res 0

The early skirmishes of the second half saw Aberford cope with the tailwind a shade better than Bridge had done, but on 50 minutes, a loose tackle brought down Tom Smith, and Phil Wix duly obliged from the spot to give Bridge a chance to settle down. Defensively, they had been fairly comfortable despite the red marauders, but upfront things were coming together, and the pressure began to give chances. First Coffey shot over from 25 yards, then a shot from Tom Smith was parried by O’Neill in the Aberford goal, and Phil Wix was on hand to calmly slot home his second from just inside the area. From being second best, Bridge came out of the first ten minutes of the second half with a useful, if flattering, two goal cushion. They used it well though, and began to dictate the play but Aberford’s attack didn’t want to give up. Just a few minutes after the second goal, Paul Lawrie shot over the bar, then Ryan O’Donnell made a vigorous penalty claim after being brought down by Mark Greenhalgh, but the referee was happy that the Bridge man had made contact with the ball, not the player. They continued to break, Dave Lawley and Jon Ripton both having good shots at goal. Callum Willey was replaced by John Hunt on 65, and Bridge continued themselves to push for the goal that could kill the game, but on 69 minutes, a free kick floated in by Ryan O’Donnell achieved what Kirby has failed to do during Bridge attacks and found its’ way into the net, following the faintest of touches by Darren Bourke. Aberford couldn’t use this wedge though, and five minutes later they were unable to spring the surprise twice, Barker collecting an O’Donnell free kick from a similar position to the effort that produced the goal.

Chris Askew replaced Paul Lawrie as Aberford reshaped in an effort to secure the equaliser that would force extra time, but Bridge looked to be coping now, and all the Red efforts were beginning to come from long range. By contrast, Bridge were patiently building and finding the cohesion that they lacked in the first half, creating a succession of chances. Firstly Wix played a good ball across the area but no-one was able to meet it, then he played a ball wide left which Tom Smith hit as he fell, but agonisingly the ball came back off the post and he was unable to gain his feet quickly enough for a second bite of the cherry. Smith laid the ball through for Werrett who shot wide, Coffey had a shot deflected for corner, and Tom Smith shot across the face of the goal but again no Bridge player was on hand to use it. Bridge were totally in control, good value for their lead, and Wix was menacing as he looked for his hat trick. O’Neill was still alert though, and dived bravely at the feet of Tom Smith to keep Aberford hopes alive with only two minutes to go. As the game moved into stoppage time, Dave Ekin threw on one Smith for another, Paul replacing the hard working Tom to produce almost instant results. Two minutes into time, Smith was felled at the left edge of the six yard area and Wix stood tall to net for his third of the afternoon. He stood taller still at the second attempt, showing no nerves as he was forced to retake following encroachment by the Bridge players, coolly placing the spot kick in an identical position to his previous attempt. That was the last meaningful play as referee Foster brought down the curtain on a difficult but entertaining game.

Aberford can have no complaints but should draw hope from their performance. They lie in 11th place in the League, but performed ably and with spirit against a Bridge side currently second and looking to have a say in the final shake up for the title. In failing to use the breaks they were able to make in the first half, they allowed Bridge to weather a storm and in the second half, when the wind was no longer helping to push balls on, the boys in Blue were able to work together and for each other. Phil Wix and Tom Smith were lively and creative up front, Ben Mudd worked tirelessly and the central midfield of Callum Willey and Dave Coffey worked well together until the substitution. Jonathan Barker in goal did very little wrong, and together with the commanding presence of Steve Kirby in front of him, snuffed out the early Aberford breaks, and restricted them increasingly as the game wore on. A game which swung towards Boroughbridge as it progressed, it was nevertheless a good contest for the most, and one which Dave Ekin will use to highlight the pitfalls of staying focused, which is often the hardest task of a manager on the back of a high margin victory in the previous outing.

Men of the Match –Phil Wix & Tom Smith

Boroughbridge AFC Res - Barker, Kirby, Werrett, Hall, Waddington, Greenhalgh, Wix, Mudd, T Smith, Coffey, Willey. Subs –Hunt, Tetley, P Smith, Donohoe

Goal Scorers – Wix 50 (pen), 55, 90+3 (pen)

Aberford Albion Res - O'Neill, Bowden, Maher, Lawley, Finney, O'Donnell, Lawrie, D Bourke, Boushaba, Wigglesworth, Ripton Subs - Askew, Tuck, N Bourke

Goal Scorer - D Bourke 69