Game 11: Laverstock & Ford 0.3 Bournemouth (WESS PREM) 17.08.10

Alan drove up the A36 and picked me up en route to his first visit to Laverstock's ground. After parking up and sampling the delights of the refreshment stand we wandered pitchside and browsed the excellent programme.

Bournemouth had a good season in the league last year, finishing 4th - 3 points behind promoted Wimborne. Laverstock's season wasn't so good and they had to rely on a reprieve from relegation after finishing second bottom. While a few of the team from last year are still at the club, new manager Nev Beal has brought in 8 new players to try and improve things on the pitch. This includes Kent Kauppinen who played a few games in goal last season for Bemerton and is now playing an unusual utility player role - goalkeeper / forward.

The first period of the first half was fairly even in terms of chances and possession. Bournemouth were more confident on the ball and played a more controlled game than Laverstock. Laverstock would often play the ball out from defence and bypass the midfield which asked a lot from their strikers who were left chasing after the long clearances. They had a couple of set pieces that were wasted with shots flying well over the bar.

The first clear opportunity on goal fell to Laverstock in the 30th minute. They broke down the left side and one of their players reached the ball ahead of the defence and took it into the area. He hit a shot on target but from such a narrow angle that the keeper didn't have a problem in stopping it.

Bournemouth hit back and a minute later a shot on the spin flew wide of the post. They came closer to scoring in the 35th minute when a break down the right lead to a quick cross into the centre of the penalty area. Their number 11 received the ball and hit a first time volley just wide.

Laverstock made an early defensive substitution to try and stop the flow of chances coming down their left side. This was successful but only because Bournemouth switched their attack to focus on the other side. The substitution didn't prevent Bournemouth taking the lead in the 39th minute. Some simple passing play got the ball into the area and as one player dummied a shot, a team mate was in position to hit a low shot past the keeper and inside the left hand post.

I was impressed with the Bournemouth number 9 who was continually picking the ball up in midfield and running though the Laverstock midfield. In the 40th minute one of these runs made it through the defence as well as he reached the edge of the penalty area. With two team mates in good positions for a pass, he took the selfish option and ended up over-running the ball which went for a corner.

He learnt from this mistake as minutes later he took the ball on another run down the left side and this time played the ball to a better placed team mate. This lead to a shot on goal but the keeper was aware and made a good save. As the game went into injury time Bournemouth scored a second. A corner on the far side was hit deep and the ball ended up on the nearside. A Bournemouth player ran onto it and hit a pacy low cross into the centre for a team mate to stoop down and slide in to hit a curving shot past the keeper.

Laverstock came out for the second half with more determination. Perrett was almost through in the first minute of the half before a defender blocked his run and took the ball. A shot was fired over the bar and in the 51st minute a long throw from the substitute caused chaos in the area when it was flicked to the back post. Only a last ditch defensive clearance stopped it from sneaking in. Another long throw a few minutes later saw the ball scrambled around the penalty area before it was cleared.

The turning point in the match came in the 56th minute. Laverstock broke down the left side and hit a powerful rising shot past the keeper. It looked to be going in but crashed off the underside of the bar, down to the ground and bounced away from the goal. It didn't look like the ball had crossed the line and none of the players protested as play carried on. Bournemouth broke away quickly and took the ball down the other end. A low shot in the area beat the keeper and gave the visitors a 3.0 lead.

Laverstock were forced to use their last substitute in the 70th minute as their keeper was unable to continue. Four minutes later one of their outfield players went down after a tackle and ended up having to be stretchered off so Laverstock were down to 10 men.

With the numerical advantage it was no surprise to see Bournemouth pushing forward. They should have made it a four goal lead on several occasions with shots and headers flying wide and a good cross was dummied for a team mate to hit when the player was in a better position to score.

There had been a few niggles in the game and tempers boiled over following a late tackle. The referee booked two players and had to deal with an off the ball scuffle as the game went late into injury time. It looked like he was going to show another yellow card to a Laverstock player but the offender managed to talk himself into receiving a red card.

Game 10: Downton 0.2 Bitton (FA Cup) 14.08.10

Waking up on another wet Saturday morning, I decided to forgo the 3 hours of driving for the FA Cup tie at Bridport and head to a local tie instead. Bemerton had been knocked out at Totton & Eling on Friday night which left me a choice of games at Amesbury, Downton and Laverstock. With more rain expected in the afternoon, I decided to head to Downton as I'll be at Laverstock's match on Tuesday night.

Downton started their league campaign with a draw and a win but the programme confirmed the manager's thoughts that a result against Bitton, a Western Premier league team, would test the capabilities of his squad.

The first twenty minutes passed without too much incident. As the half progressed, both teams seemed unhappy with some of the decisions made by the referee who seemed keen to blow up for any backing in and contact between the teams.

Downton had the first clear effort on goal after 24 minutes when Danny Western hit a great low shot from the left of the penalty area. The Bitton keeper got down well to push the ball away.

Bitton could have had a chance when they took the ball forward in the 29th minute. Their break down the right was brought to a halt by the referee's whistle as he finally noticed an offside flag from a Downton move at least a minute earlier. Instead of allowing the visitors to play on, the referee brought play back to the Bitton half which gave them no advantage.

Bitton won a number of corners which looked to be ideal for creating goal scoring opportunities as they had a number of players over 6 feet. They were unable to make the most of this height advantage as Downton cleared any crosses that came in.

Their best chance of the first half came in the 42nd minute when the ball was played low into the area and evaded the defence to find a Bitton player. He took aim but sliced his shot from a few yards out to put the ball wide.

The sun had been out during the first half but it started to cloud over during half time. Downton had the first opportunity of the second half in the 47th minute. A Bitton player slipped on the edge of the area allowing Western in but the keeper read the situation well and came out quickly to clear the ball, taking a knock in the process.

The referee hadn't issued any cards in the first half but was left with no option in the 53rd minute when Matt Holmes slid in late on a Bitton player. Three minutes later and it was a Bitton player who found himself in the book with a similar late tackle.

The ball was played towards the Bitton penalty area from the freekick and McGregor won the ball, turned and beat a Bitton defender for pace. He hit a shot on target but it was too close to the keeper and he managed to dive to his left and tip the ball out.

Western had followed up and it looked like he was in position to hit the ball in only for a defender to nip in and head the ball out of his way. Downton followed up this effort a minute later with a Western shot that fizzed past the right hand post. It looked like he had more time then he realised to take aim.

The expected rain started to fall in the 60th minute and quickly turned into torrential rain. I joined the majority of the crowd by heading to the stand to take cover although a few brave souls sheltered under umbrellas. The wet weather seemed to wake the players up a bit and perhaps could claim an assist for the opening goal.

Bitton took the ball down the right wing and were able to play a low cross in the box as the covering defender slipped on the wet surface as he was chasing back. While the keeper covered the near post, the ball found the Bitton left winger who swept a low shot low into the unguarded area of the goal to give his team the lead.

Bitton had two chances to extend their lead shortly afterwards. The first attempt was a low shot that skidded diagonally towards the right post only to go out for a goalkick. The second came in the 82nd minute when a corner on the right side flew in to the area and back off the post.

Downton were still in with a chance and McGregor was frustrated in the 83rd minute when he had an opportunity to score but hit his shot wide. In the 85th minute Bitton had their keeper to thank when he was able to smother a shot from a corner and recover the ball that had slipped from his hands before McGregor's sliding leg reached it.

McGregor tried a move from the George Best archives when the keeper came out with the ball to take the goalkick. As the keeper had the ball in one hand McGregor knocked it out of his hand but his goal was disallowed by the referee who booked McGregor for this effort.

As the game went into the 4th minute of injury time Downton won a corner. Their keeper jogged up from the back to try and cause some problems for the Bitton defence. Unusually in these circumstances, the corner found the keeper's but his on target header was cleared from the line.

Bitton broke quickly with the ball and hit it to a striker near the halfway line. He turned and ran forwards and towards the left touchline before cutting back in and hitting a chip shot towards goal. The keeper was still sprinting back to his penalty area as the ball cruised into the net with the last kick of the game. The rain had eased off so I got back to the car without getting wet.

Game 9: Salisbury City 2.1 Basingstoke Town (Friendly) 07.08.10

After a late night and a couple of rain showers this morning, I decided to have a lazy day and take in Salisbury's last pre-season friendly against Conference South side Basingstoke Town.

Over the past year I've got to hear alot about the Basingstoke team from a colleague at work who follows their fortunes. After a good start last season they faded away after Christmas and ended up in mid-table. They made a number of signings early in pre-season and some of those new faces featured today, including ex Pompey keeper Chris Tardiff.

I arrived around half an hour before kickoff and the carpark was fairly empty. I wondered if this was an indication that the local support that increased as Southampton dropped down the leagues had decided to take a trip down to St Marys with the Saints pre-season favourites for promotion.

Following the announcement of new sponsors for the club, the old Hopback sign around the scoreboard has been replaced with a huge snail from the "Ask Eric" equity release advertising campaign. The well documented financial situation at the club means that no supporters will be permitted in the "away" end for most games this season. This is due to the safety certificate that still applies to the stadium and the cost of the necessary stewarding to open that part of the ground.

The game started with a controversial moment in the second minute. Basingstoke's Pratt ran into the box with the ball but was brought down by the legs of the Salisbury keeper. The referee awarded a penalty but declined to show any cards when perhaps in a league game the foul would have led to a straight red card.

Pratt picked himself up to take the penalty and hit a low shot to the keeper's left side. Keeper Pryce guessed the right way and made an excellent save to keep the ball out of the net. Some Basingstoke supporters on the side were understandably aggrieved by this as they felt the keeper should not have been on the pitch to face the spotkick.

Salisbury took the lead after 12 minutes. The ball was crossed towards the far post and Joyce headed the ball over Tardiff. It looked like it came down off the bar and the referee decided that the combined efforts of keeper and defender were not enough to keep it out of the net and awarded the goal.

Both teams had some decent passing moves but they often broke down in midfield as the accuracy wasn't good enough to beat the defence. Turley at the back for Salisbury impressed as both teams tried to find space behind the defences.Basingstoke had a good effort that went over the bar and McLaggon was close to a goal when a close range effort was scuffed into the keeper's hands.

McLaggon looked bright and was winning the ball back well in midfield to try and set up attacks. He was the subject of a couple of late tackles and in the 39th minute tempers boiled over as another late tackle took his legs. There was a brief melee between the two teams and the referee had to act quickly to calm things down.

Basingstoke won a freekick midway in the Salisbury half a a couple of minutes later. The ball was whipped into the box and headed out by a Salisbury defender, only to land nicely for Gasson to hit a shot. The ball took a deflection to leave Pryce on the floor, looking up at the ball going over his head and into the net.

As you would expect at a pre-season match, both teams made some changes at half-time and players were replaced on a regular basis thoughout the second half. Basingstoke came close to taking the lead in the 54th minute when Pryce missed a cross. Pratt gathered the ball but his shot was hooked wide of the goal by a defender for a corner.

The corner didn't amount to anything and shortly afterwards Salisbury took the lead. A long pass through the middle allowed Joyce in behind the defence. His intended run had been spotted by Tardiff who ran out to try and intercept the ball but Joyce was able to push the ball past him and into the penalty area. With the keeper stranded, Joyce kept his nerve and hit the ball into the net before a covering defender could catch up with him.

The atmosphere was fairly quiet and it was no surprise when the official attendance was announced as 385. Basingstoke came close to an equaliser in the last minute with a shot on target that Pryce pushed wide. On the evidence of today's performance the Salisbury regulars will have a lot to look forward to this season.

Game 8: Bemerton Heath Harlequins 2.2 (4.2 pens) Shrewton United (Sport4Salisbury Cup Final) 31.07.10

I was looking forward to seeing these two teams play each other following last week's games and to see if Shrewton could avenge a 2.1 defeat to Bemerton in last year's final. After a 45 minute break listening to the radio in the car and catching up on the new Mojo magazine, it was back to the touchline to watch the final.

Bemerton play at a higher level than Shrewton and I expected them to have the edge in the match. They came close to scoring in the 13th minute when Puckett put a shot wide from a narrow angle. Shrewton were playing well and both teams looked capable of scoring.

Shrewton took the lead in the 18th minute from a direct free kick about 30 yards out from goal. The ball was hit hard and low through the wall and into the bottom right hand corner, leading to some frank words between the Bemerton defence and goalkeeper.

Five minutes later and it was 2.0 to Shrewton with a super poacher's effort from Jesse Walters. A cross from the left side looked to have evaded everyone but he timed his run towards the goal line to perfection and somehow managed to hook the ball round the post and in to the net before it went out of play. The reaction from the Bemerton players was rather more vocal on this occasion!

Bemerton had a couple of half chances to equalise before half time. Rowe put a good shot just wide of the post and a long high shot from midfield just before half time almost caught out the Shrewton keeper. He managed to peddle back quickly and made the save when the ball looked to be going over his head.

I was surprised that Joe Sanger had started the game on the bench and Bemerton certainly missed him as an outlet when playing balls out of defence. With a two goal deficit it was not a surprise to see him come on in the second half.

Bemerton had an appeal for a goal turned down in the 48th minute following a goalmouth scramble. The players were adamant that the ball had gone over the line but neither the referee or his assistant agreed. In the 50th minute there was another close call as a cross from the left curved over the Shrewton keeper but hit the crossbar and bounced over.

The pressure was all one way as Bemerton looked for a way back into the match. The woodwork came to Shrewton's rescue again in the 59th minute when a Bemerton shot across goal hit the post with the keeper beaten.

Fisher then saw his point blank header from a corner well saved by the Shrewton keeper who just threw himself towards the ball and hoped for the best. Sanger hit a shot over the bar and another cross from Jones on the left arced over the keeper only to hit the bar and bounce out.

It looked like Bemerton were not going to be rewarded for their efforts but in the 75th minute they finally managed to pull a goal back. A cross from the right found O'Kane in the box and he leapt above the covering defenders to place the ball away from the keeper and into the left corner of the net.

Bemerton kept pushing forward for an equaliser and finally pulled the game level in the 83rd minute when Jack Slade hit the ball through a crowd of players at the back post.

The game finished as a 2.2 draw and went to a penalty shoot-out to decide the winners of the Sport4Salisbury Trophy.

Shrewton took the first penalty, only to see the ball hit the crossbar with the keeper beaten.

The next 5 penalties were all scored, giving Bemerton a 3.2 lead with two kicks remaining.

Bemerton's keeper saved the next penalty, guessing correctly that the ball would go low to his left and deflecting the ball up in the air and out. This meant that Jack Slade had the first opportunity to win the shoot-out and he made no mistake, giving Bemerton a 4.2 victory.

After a quick speech from Mike Turner from Sport4Salisbury, both teams received their individual commemorative trophies before Bemerton were presented with the Sport4Salisbury Cup for the second year in a row.