The Seasiders’ devastating finishing proved to be the deciding factor in this game as Clevedon recorded their biggest win against Bridgwater for 20 years.
There was little between the teams in the first half, but Clevedon grabbed a vital lead and after weathering some stiff Bridgwater pressure at the start of the second period they stepped on the gas and raced away with the game in the last quarter of an hour.
Clevedon went close early on when Cam Steer and Freddie King set up Sam Beresford whose shot was deflected over the bar and then Bridgwater keeper Liam Kingston produced the first of many good saves to push George King’s swerving shot clear. On 18 minutes Glen Hayer picked out Steer with a typical crossfield pass but Beresford just failed to get on the end of Steer’s low cross into the box.
A surging run down the line by Fin Koppa saw James Dunn dive to stop as Koppa’s shot to the far post but Clevedon came the closest yet to a goal on 25 minutes when Freddie King’s free-kick on the edge of the box went over the wall and cannoned off the base of the post and was hacked clear.
But the Seasiders didn’t have to wait long before taking the lead. Steer’s corner from the right on 32 minutes was headed away by Liam Winter as Hayer challenged and Henry Westlake on the edge of the box chested the ball down before volleying it superbly through the crowded box into the net for his first goal of the season and become the fourteenth Seasider to get on the score sheet this season.
From the restart Koppa again powered down the right and his cross shot flashed across the six-yard box but there was nobody on hand to get a touch. Back came Town and some accurate passing saw Syd Camper play the ball to Beresford whose neat flick put Freddie King through only to see his shot blocked at the last minute by Preston Hopwood.
Just before half time Oscar Bridgman’s cross from the byline was flicked on by Beresford and Steer backing up picked up the ball to shoot, forcing another good save from Kingston. But before the half time whistle blew, George King was sin binned for something he said to the referee and the half ended with Clevedon holding a 1-0 advantage.
With a man advantage for the first ten minutes of the second half Bridgwater forced Clevedon back, but the Clevedon defence did well to restrict them to half chances. The closest they came was on 52 minutes when Josh Wadham’s high free-kick was kept out by a combination of the leaping Dunn’s fingertips and the post.
Other chances went begging when Josh Wadham was blocked, then as a corner bounced around the Clevedon box and the ball ended up in the back of the net and Bridgwater thought they had scored Clevedon were saved by the offside flag before Jack Taylor was off target.
Just after the hour Seasiders Manager Alex White introduced three changes bringing on James Tait, Kieran Ireland, and Joe Teall and the momentum of the game started to change. Steer found Beresford free in the box, but again Kingston was quickly out to block the shot, but on 78 minutes Clevedon got their second when Beresford picked out Freddie King to take the ball into the box and see his left-foot shot from an angle deflected in off the far post.
With their tails up Freddie King grabbed his second to put the Seasiders 3-0 up just four minutes later. Alex Camm’s initial shot saw Kingston leap to pull off a great save, but Freddie King reacted superbly to smash the loose ball into the net. Now it was all Clevedon. Freddie King set up Tait to cut in on the overlap only to put his shot over, Teall grazed the post, Kingston was in action again as Freddie King raced clear to cross with the keeper diving to push the ball away and then Teall set up Tait for a swerving shot which was safely held by Kingston.
Deep into added time Beresford couldn’t get another ball into the box under control to shoot, but the ball was swept out for a corner which Freddie King took and set up Hayer perfectly for a towering header past Kingston to make the final score Clevedon Town 4 Bridgwater United 0 and push Town three points clear at the head of the table.
Seasiders Player of the Match: Syd Camper stood out when Bridgwater were on top and helped create the platform for the forwards to go on and win the game.
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