Final score Galmpton nil Buckland four, but I have a strong feeling the Galmpton manager and his players do not feel they should have been on the end of such a score line. For most of the first half the Galmpton players made the Buckland boys work very hard and it has to be said that for a good part of the first half, Buckland looked like a team full of players just getting to know each other.
Very early in the half Galmptons Kevin Wilshire made what looked a very bad tackle on Bucks Ben Carter, but thankfully there were no other such tackles for the rest of the whole match. I have warmed to young Ben Carter, I must be honest and say when he played against a Torquay United side at Homers Heath a few seasons ago, I took a dislike to him. But then he was guilty that day of a few nasty tackles but you just have to love this terrier who battles away and wins the ball and always looks so good when he has the ball at his feet.
Neither team were creating any really good chances and the few early shots there were, were being taken from some distance from the goal. Bucks Gavin Hammon hit a 35 yard effort well over the crossbar, as did Galmptons Alex Bayus (not sure that is how is name is spelt)
Galmpton could have taken an early lead after Bucks Ben Head should have cleared the ball out of danger in the Buckland box, but he didn’t and as a result let in Alex Bayus who with just the keeper to beat fired his shot wide of the right hand post.
Danny Gaze went on one of his dazzling runs and got close to the by-line in the left hand side of the box, he played in a good low ball that a Galmpton defender just got a toe on to force behind for a corner. Bucks Dan Griffiths played a very neat through ball to Gavin Hammon who took the ball on a few paces making the angle that much tighter before hitting a hard shot at goal. But he went for the near post and the keeper was able to block the shot with his legs.
That was about all the goal mouth action there was for the first half and for the first five or ten minutes of the second half, Galmpton looked the more likely of the two sides to score a goal. But the closest they came was from a pot shot by Kevin Wills who was just outside the Bucks box. He hit his shot well enough but had to watch the ball fly past the left hand post.
Up the other end and another good run into the box by Danny Gaze resulted in an inch perfect cross from him and Bucks Jammie Micklewrigh rose up unchallenged to head the ball, but he put his header wide of the goal.
Galmpton meanwhile were still looking to score the opening goal and came close when Marc Collins who had got into the Buckland box, laid the ball back to Kevin Wills who hit a good shot that Kenny Griffiths did well to turn the ball around the post and behind for a corner.
Buckland’s front players were starting to use their pace a bit more and making much better runs and it was no surprise when this paid dividends for them. The ball was played into the Galmpton box from the right hand side but was only half cleared to the edge of the box to Dan Griffiths who hit a hard low left foot shot into the bottom right hand corner of the goal.
The Galmpton defence were now finding it hard to stop the Buckland forwards running in behind them and Gavin Hammon who really looks such a good player made a great run into the box and played a good ball across the face of the goal that Jammie Micklewrigh so nearly got on the end of.
I was so pleased to see Gavin score goal number two for Buckland, another good run this time on the right and a neat one two that saw him in the box and he blasted the ball past the Galmpton keeper.
Galmpton seldom threatened the goal after Bucks scored their second goal; Alex Bayus did find himself in the Bucks box and was just about to take a shot when Ben Head made a fine saving tackle.
Bucks should have got goal number three and I bet Dan Griffiths is still wondering how the hell he missed what was an open goal. He was played the most perfect through ball to run onto and as the keeper rushed out he coolly took the ball around the keeper. But instead of simply rolling the ball into the empty net, he went for power and his shot smashed against the upright.
It was down to Mike Booth to get Bucks third goal, the ball came into the box from the left hand side just behind the Galmpton defenders and he stuck out a leg and steered the ball past the keeper. Jammie Micklewrigh got goal number four, the ball was laid back to him eight yards from goal and he took a shot that got defected off a Galmpton player that wrong footed the keeper.
An enjoyable game to watch and Buckland will be happy they found the back of the net four times.
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