Avon Plate F.C.

"play up Plate"

Match reports for Season 2000/2001

Match 5

17/09/00 (league )
Avon Plate 2 : 1 Lawrence Weston

Half Time 1:1
Scorer: Jack Sant 15mins, Jerry White 69mins

Heroic 10 Win First Points For Plate
by Comrade Hemmingway, Official Football or Death Reporter

Avon Plates season kicked off for real this Sunday with a 2:1 win over Lawrence Weston. The result gave Plate their first points for the season and was all the more satisfying considering the circumstances that surrounded the match. With 8 first team members out injured and 2 away on loan The Plate were forced to take the field with only 10 players, 3 of which, Tony Bowles, Tommo and Ivan were all carrying injuries going into the match.

In spite of this Plate started the game as if they were the team with the extra man, forcing the pace and keeping things tight at the back. In the centre of midfield Andy Bowles in his first game of the season was playing a blinder and it soon became clear that the Plate frontline had the measure of the opposition defence. Minutes into the game Spears played a one two with Tony on the left before cutting in and curling a beautiful shot calmly round the keeper only to be called back for a touch and go offside call. But the Plate were not to be denied and after a quarter of an hour Yos played Jack in, the striker finishing with typical power to notch up his first goal of the season.

As the game went on Lawrence Weston began to see more of the ball but The Plate defence looked rock solid. It was all the more disheartening then, when against the run of play Weston got their equaliser, the ball cruelly dipping under the bar at the back post direct from a corner, leaving the helpless Biil stranded. Unperturbed The Plate once again took the game by the scruff of the neck and surged forward as the rain streamed down and the half time whistle approached.

Half Time 1:1

Into the second half the rain continued to pour down and the Plate began to feel the effects of a heavy pich on tired legs. The injured trio of Tom, Ivan and Tony were beginning tostruggle and with an outnumbered midfield the Plate were finding it hard to keep possesion. As the half went on play began to be confined to the Plate half but when in possesion it was still Avon Plate who looked the classier outfit and the team more likely to score.

Indeed the first two chances of the half fell to the blue and whites, first Tony blasting over from 6 yards when it seemed easier to score and then Yos scuffing his shot wide from a similar distance and with only the keeper to beat. The catalyst for much of this pressure was Jacko who by now had drifted out to the right and was causing Weston's left back all sorts of problems and it was one such storming run that led to the goal. Latching on to a through ball from Tony the number nine beat his marker and delivered a searching cross to the back stick. There, having made forty yards to get there from his right wing station, was Jerry White who met the ball with a classic header putting the ball back across the keeper and in at the far post. It was the wingers first goal in 12 months and he celebrated in style at the corner flag before being engulfed by ecstatic team mates.

With twenty minutes to go there was still plenty of time for Weston to mount a comeback against a tiring Plate and in the last 10 minutes Bill pulled off two outstanding saves to earn Plate the points. To the last every Plater, roared on by their inspirational captain James Masters, was tracking back and making last gasp challenges and it was that commitment that gave The Plate a well deserved win.

Avon Plate 2:1 Lawrence Weston

Wa-hey!!!

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