Bristol R v Scunthorpe United

Saturday, November 20, 2004

Football League Two

Bristol R :
Kevin Miller, Hinton, Edwards, Burns (Thorpe 65), Elliott, Ryan, Disley (Gibb 50), Hunt, Trollope, Forrester, Agogo
Subs not used:
Campbell, Lescott, Walker

Scunthorpe United :
Musselwhite, Byrne, Crosby, Butler, Ridley, Sparrow, Kell (Taylor 83), Baraclough, Beagrie, Torpey, Hayes
Subs not used:
Evans, Sharp, Jackson, Rankine

SULSESC REPORT

by Mal Watson at Memorial Stadium

A COLD, wet Saturday in the middle of the season. Yes, it's time for the annual trip to Bristol Rovers. On a dark, miserable day the omens were there for the bubble to burst in a 3–0 defeat.

A bright start to the match as Kell and Baraclough got a grip in the centre of midfield and Beagrie was tormenting their right back. A corner from the right and Hayes was given space to volley the ball home from the edge of the six–yard box. One nil!

Soon afterwards another corner from the right and Rovers could not clear the ball from the box until it was finally forced home by Torpey. Two nil! This is not what we have come to expect at Bristol.

Then an incident off the ball with a Rovers player going down and the linesman coming on to the pitch to help the referee stop an altercation. Oh no, this is where it could all go pear shaped.

The Scunny player involved was Crosby who had already been booked for a deliberate handball. With the home crowd baying for blood Crosby would surely get another yellow card or even a straight red and we would be down to 10 men. But no, the referee gave him a good talking to but let him off. Presumably none of the officials actually saw what happened but then neither did I. Anyway the half–time whistle came with the cushion of a two–goal lead.

The start of the second–half would surely see a much more determined effort from the home team with Scunny having a backs to the wall siege for most of the second period. But it was not to be.

At times in the Fourth Division, you can't beat going back to basics. A long kick from Mussy (you wouldn't see Evans doing that!) and Hayes held off the defender to steer the ball past the goalie. Three nil!

With that, several home fans thought they had seen enough and decided to leave although it was still very early in the second–half. We were now completely on top and should easily have scored two or three more goals before the end.

The only time Rovers came close to scoring was just before the end when Forrester got past Mussy on the edge of the box but with two defenders rushing back to try to defend the goal line he blasted the ball over the bar. He would have definitely scored a goal from a position like that a few years ago and he hung his head in shame.

The whistle came to end the best performance of the season so far. Yes, it was a miserable day with a 3–0 result but it was to us so we went home happy. If we play like this every week, then we should avoid a relegation battle unlike last season (I just hope I am not tempting fate there).