BOROUGHBRIDGE RES 2 RIPON CITY RES 3
Ripon completed a treble over Bridge this season with this victory, inflicted their first home defeat of the campaign and became the only side to record a League double over Bridge in successive seasons. To make matters worse for Manager Dave Ekin it was his side's fourth defeat on the trot and the first time since the Reserve side was formed in the early twenties that both senior sides have lost four fixtures simultaneously. Bridge knew that a win was essential if they were to keep on the edge of the Divisional title and it did not start too badly when Paul Smith raced on to a long clearance from Jon Barker to beat the advancing Jamie Birch. Ripon then got a lucky break when a Kyle Baldwin effort was deflected over Barker and on 65 minutes they went ahead through a Danny Edmunds penalty following a reckless challenge from Dave Burniston. With Martin Hutchinson pulling the strings in midfield Ripon increased their lead, again through Edmunds, and it was not until five minutes from time that Paul Smith reduced the arrears with a clinical finish from 15 yards. A degree of panic set in and Jamie Smith was only inches away from an equaliser, which in truth, would have been more than they deserved.
MOM D Burniston & P Smith