Post by Dave on Aug 22, 2015 9:07:00 GMT
Carlsberg Southwest Peninsula League Division One East
Galmpton Utd Vs Budleigh Salterton
Saturday 22nd August 2015 Kick-Off 3pm
Venue…..Galmpton Memorial Ground
Referee …… Adam Willer
Final Score Galmpton United 1 Budleigh Salterton 3
When a football season comes to an end, you wonder what you are going to do with your time on a Saturday afternoon. But you need not worry to much as in what seems a blink of an eye, the next new season gets underway.
Having led the way in Division One East of the Peninsula League for months last season, Galmpton finished sixth after the teams around them caught up on their games in hand after a horrendous run of injuries. Golden boot winner Alex Bayliss suffered a double broken leg with Matt Barkwell, Jamie Bonner and Kev Wiltshire all hit by serious injuries in the final month and earlier in the season, key striker Liam Moseley had also been sidelined.
Last seasons joint bosses Parkin and Ridley have left the after six years service and a new management team has been appointed at the Memorial Ground with Darren Watts, Tom Kelly and Russell Musker being given the task for this season.
Galmpton has made a good start to the new season, to date they have played three games winning two of them and drawing the other one. Budleigh Salterton has played one more league game than Galmpton having won two, drawn one and last one. Both teams have seven league points and so this game represented a good chance for Galmpton to put some early season space between the two teams.
A dull afternoon weather-wise, but that could not be said about the match, but it did take until the second half, to really come alive. Tom Kelly warned up the Galmpton squad and he sure made them all laugh a few times and it was clear that there is a good team sprit at the club.
The game got underway and it was Budleigh who made the much better start as they won three early corners. But they could have easily gone behind after their keeper Alan Doble decided to try and play around with a back pass to him when all he needed to do was boot the ball up field. Dan Broadway robbed him of the ball, but was unable to find the back of the net.
At the back Galmpton were struggling to deal with the pace of the Budleigh forwards and nearly came undone when a good ball down the right hand side saw a Budleigh player beat the offside trap. He looked up and laid the ball on a plate for his team mate Jack Greenslade who was unmarked in the middle of the Galmpton box. But Greenslade was leaning back a bit when he hit the ball first time and fired it over the crossbar.
The referee seemed intent all afternoon to book as many Galmpton players as possible and the very first booking was a big joke. Cameron Kelly cleared the ball very low down and did not move his legs afterwards, but a Budleigh player came crashing in after the ball had gone and fell over Cameron’s legs.
As the first half wore on goal chances were few and far between and for a while it looked like this game might end with not any goals being scored at all. Galmptons George Dandridge, who had a very good game, did come close to breaking the deadlock before the break. The ball came into the Budleigh box via a free kick taken out on the left hand side, but Georges shot was blocked on its way to the goal.
Jamie Spence always seems to like getting booked when ever I watch his team play, he did not let me down today getting booked when he went into a tackle and very soon there were a number of bodies trying to get the ball free.
That was it for the first half, Budleigh just that bit better and quicker on the ball, but nothing to show for their first half performance. To be honest I can’t remember either keeper really having to make a serious save during the first half.
The ref blew for halftime and Tom Kelly kept his players out on the pitch, something I have not seen happen at the ground before. Galmpton came out the for the second half all guns blazing and right form the restart Dan Broadway hit a good 25 yard shot that just went wide of the right hand post.
But with the half only minutes old, Budleigh took the lead, but questions need to be asked about the Galmpton defending. The ball was played from the right into the Galmpton box to Jack Howarth. He seemed to have lost the ball and he had two Galmpton defenders close by to him. But they both failed to clear the ball and from six yards out Jack Howarth hit a left foot shot into the back of the net.
Galmpton were working so hard, but could not really create that much when they got into the Budleigh box. They did come very close to getting back onto level terms when Ryan Frost went on a fine run into the box. He ended up very close to the left hand post and tried to fire his shot across the keeper and inside the right hand post. The shot did not have a lot of power in it and bobbled past the post and behind for a goal kick.
Dan Broadway joined a few of his team mates into the book and I wondered just what the ref was seeing that I clearly wasn’t. It was Galmptons turn to win a few corners but nothing came from them. Every time the Budleigh broke into the Galmpton half they looked dangerous. Callum Shipton had a good effort on goal that thankfully for Galmpton was defected over the bar for a corner.
I do not think the ref booked Galmpton’s number six Cameron Kelly when he should have because he would have then had to show him a red card. But he clearly took out Aaron Denny who was on a fine run beating every player in his sights.
But the free kick was to prove costly to his side when it was fired into the box from the right hand side and then hit home by Mark Broom. So now two nil down was there any way back for Galmpton? There might have been if Dan Broadway had not gone off injured. It was a strange affair; he was dancing around with the ball at his feet then went down and then got up and limped off the pitch.
Galmpton thought they had pulled a goal back when a shot from just outside the area was back heeled into the goal by Cameron Kelly, but the linesman put up his flag for offside.
It was then soon three nil to the visitors. Once again questions may need to be asked about the Galmpton defending. The ball in the end was fired over to the back post with the Galmpton keeper Ken Griffiths coming to his near post. The ball went over his head to the waiting Piers Maclaughlan who headed into the empty net.
With ten minutes left on the clock, Galmpton did finally pull one goal back. From a corner out on the right, Cameron Kelly rose the highest and headed the ball in off the underside of the crossbar.
Try as hard as they might, Galmpton were not able to score another goal and Budleigh ran out deserved winners. Their manager was so pleased with their performance he promised to buy them all a pint when they got back home.
I was expecting a Galmpton win today, they are a good side and have a number of talented players, they just need to tighten up in defence a bit and if they do that then they will be winning more games than they lose this season.
Russell Musker and Tom Kelly with the FA Vase in 2008
