This was a Les Phillips Cup game against opposition from the Western League First Division. As this was Ashton’s first season in the Western League it also happened to be the first time the two teams had met.
The Gills had a severely depleted team due to player unavailability and as a result some players had a rare, or even a first, start for the Club. This was made even worse when, due to a ‘miscommunication regarding post codes’, one of the cars carrying the players went to the wrong location. As a result the Gills started the game with 10 players and, as Jamie Beale was in the errant car, without a keeper. ‘Mr Versatile’ Nick Thomson stood in as keeper for the first 7 minutes until Jamie Beale appeared.
In the early stages of the game the Gills were the dominant team and a shot from Elliot Bevis had to be blocked by the legs of home keeper, Gary Clarke. With just over quarter of an hour played Ashton got their first chance of a goal but the effort went a couple of feet wide of goal.
The Gills continued to dominate whilst not really troubling Clarke, the closest they came to scoring being a penalty appeal just before the half hour mark when Will Agbo was tripped from behind inside the area, but the Referee waved away the appeals.
Its ok to dominate a game but its goals that count and the Gills were made to pay for their inability to put the ball in the back of the net when, 3 minutes into the second half, a rare Ashton foray into the Gills half resulted in them scoring the winner. A shot from the left side of the area was blocked but the ball fell to an Ashton player who smashed in a half volley from 12 yards.
After this the game went back to the Gills dominating but the only real chance was on 65 minutes when Will Agbo headed a cross towards goal but the effort went straight at Clarke who saved easily.
When the final whistle went the Gills had lost 1-0 in a game they dominated from start to end, but couldn’t convert that domination and pressure into goals.
Man of the Match was Nick Thomson.
The Gills face their 4thgame in a week when they travel to Brislington in the League on Thursday evening.
Gills line-up: Beale, Murray, Smeeton (Pike 70), N Thomson, Compton, Lynn, Agbo (Schouten 80), Clarke, Smith, Thompson, Bevis (Harris 55).
Terry Lucas
