Marlborough vs Bridgend
Marlborough win 2-1
Desperate for some momentum leading up to the Christmas break and in dire need of some points Marlborough welcomed fellow strugglers Bridgend who were only one place and one point above them in the league table.
Marlborough started the game the brighter of the two sides with some excellent passing and positional play. Their opponents were limited to hopeful smashes down the pitch in an attempt to break some of the pressure which only encouraged Marlborough further.
Looking at the chances created Marlborough should have been several goals for the better within the first 20 minutes but were denied by some excellent saves from the Bridgend goalkeeper and a slight lack of composure at the final moment.
Marlborough deservedly took the lead however, when Captain Rich Holman thundered in a shot from a short corner routine. It was 1-0 at half time.
The second half began in much the same way as the first. Marlborough created chances and piled the pressure onto their opposite numbers.
The lead was soon doubled after a tremendous entry ball in to the ‘D’ from James Richardson found a deflection before burrowing into the top right hand corner of the net.
Looking in full control of the game Marlborough stayed strong until Bridgend scored a strange deflected goal. This made the last minute of the game somewhat more nervy than Marlborough would have expected.
Nonetheless it was a gutsy performance and a vital win at a crucial point in the season. This success was embodied by defensive general Tom Palmer who picked up a well deserved man of the match award.