The two teams walked through the main gateway on to the pitch in bright sunshine as the sun began to set over Somerset. After the teams were read out I realised that I didn't know which team was which but fortunately there was confirmation of the team colours in the programme.
Brislington (yellow and black striped shirts) took the game to Radstock (red shirts) from the kick off, earning a corner in the first minute that was headed over the bar. I thought that I might be in for a decent game but there were few chances in the first half. Brislington won a few corners but didn't put the keeper under any real pressure as the game degenerated into a kick and hope affair.
Neither team were able to keep control of the ball long enough to put together a decent attack and the nearest to a goalmouth opportunity was an occasional long distance shot high above the crossbar. It was difficult at times to see the match properly as the sun was very bright when it came out of the clouds and I didn't think I'd need sunglasses in December!
Brislington had a couple of penalty appeals turned down by the referee, a Mr Ganfield who I later learnt normally runs the line in Premier League and Football League fixtures. The first claim was for a push in the box which was ignored while the second claim was from a late tackle but it was given as a freekick outside the area.
I was expecting to see some cards for late tackles and other offences but the referee seemed content to talk to the offenders and resolve matters that way. As the players came off the pitch at half time, the home manager made his feelings known as in his opinion the referee was not in control of the game.
After warming up in the car over the half time interval, I ventured out into the cold to stand with the home supporters outside the club bar. One of these supporters was quite vocal in his support and coaching for the team, to the point where I started to wonder if he was able to string a sentence together without swearing or making reference to male genitalia. As in the first half Brislington had the better of the play but were unable to get the ball through the Radstock back line to create a clear opportunity.
With ten minutes to go I was convinced that the match was going to finish a goalless draw and the vocal home supporter appeared to agree as he pronounced that it was too cold to remain outside and departed to the bar to have another drink. Perhaps the absence of conflicting instructions from the touchline had a positive influence because with five minutes to go his team scored with their first shot on target of the entire game.
The ball was played up to a Radstock player in the penalty area and he managed to turn and hit a low shot that seemed to go under the keeper's body and into the net. Brislington seemed stunned by this turn of events as only a few minutes earlier they had almost scored following a goalmouth scramble.
Things went from bad to worse as they tried to create an equaliser. In the final minute of normal time a Radstock player won the ball in midfield and ran forward. With no passing options available he took aim and drilled a long distance shot low to the left side of the goal, past the keeper and in for a second goal.
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