Sat 3rd Dec. Southern League Div. One South. Westbury United 1-0 Willand Rovers
A third consecutive win, all with clean sheets, for Westbury as they continued their impressive start to life in the Southern League!
Joint-managers, Ricky Hulbert and Lewis Porter, have added real quality to their already strong squad and it was summer signing, Charlie Walton, who scored a great goal to win this match. The latest new recruit, goalkeeper Jonny Hill, had a quiet match, but showed his ability to dominate his penalty area at set pieces.
This was a largely scrappy and ultimately tetchy encounter, which Willand ended with ten men after a late red card. Visiting striker Dan Koita got in twice early on, but United’s defence kept him at bay; then Steve Hulbert passed to Matty Morris whose fine cross just eluded Harvey Flippance!
Walton’s goal came in the 29th minute as Dan Price played the ball to Morris who laid it on to Walton who hit a great left footed strike into the far top corner of the net. Hill did well to claim William Richards’ set piece then, as the half drew to a close, Ryan Bole had a free kick blocked. The second half continued in much the same vein, with both defences on top. Bole was at the heart of United’s biggest threats as Aaron Cockerill headed twice from a free kick and a corner, one went wide and the other was saved by George Burton.
Burton also did brilliantly to deny Joe Stradling and he then back-tracked rapidly to tip the ball away when Bole struck a remarkable effort from deep in his own half. The encounter became bad tempered in the closing stages and Williams received a straight red card for an incident with Conner McKay.
Star man: Charlie Walton (Westbury United)
Team: Jonny Hill, Steve Hulbert, Ryan Bole, Dan Price, Aaron Cockerill, Ashton Shanley, Joe Stradling, Harvey Flippance, Charlie Walton, Matty Morris, Gary Higdon . Subs: Conner McKay, Sam Jordan, Will Thomson (used) Emmanuel Adepitan, Jack Biddiscombe (unused)
Report by Andy Bown
