Match Report: Warminster Town 1 Hengrove Athletic 1

In front of a decent crowd of 196 Warminster Town maintained their unbeaten start to the new season but were unable to follow up Saturday’s victory with a second win.

The first half was for the large part uneventful with the two sides cancelling each other out.

The highlight of the half came in stoppage time when a Reece Collyer thirty yard half volley was superbly saved by Ben Britton in the Hengrove goal.

Both sides stepped it up after the break with exciting end to end football. Town’s keeper Callum Hotine was called upon early to make two fine saves. First on 48 minutes he pushed an Oscar Sullivan effort from outside the box wide for a corner and then on 55 minutes he dived bravely to save at Brad Skidmore’s feet after the winger was picked out unmarked on the left of the penalty area.

Then on the hour Town took the lead with a fantastic strike by captain Ryan Benson. Just inside the opposition half the midfielder spotted the Hengrove keeper Britton off his line and launched the ball over the backpedaling stopper into the net. That gave Town the momentum and they went close twice in quick succession. On 62 minutes the ball was laid back to Benson whose first time effort flew just over the bar.

A minute later Jake Wright played a square ball to set up Reece Collyer on the edge of the box but the Hengrove keeper dived to save to his right. Then just as the home side had looked like they would extend their lead the gifted the opposition an equaliser. On 64 minutes a Hengrove long ball fell to Town’s central defender Oscar Williamson but he under hit his back pass to Callum Hotine and Hengrove’s centre forward Jack Jones nipped in to fire past the home keeper.

Both sides pressed for a winner. On 73 minutes an excellent Myles Woodward cross found Nick Taylor unmarked in the six yard box but he headed tamely to the Hengrove keeper. Then on 79 minutes Britton saved Reece Collyer’s well struck free kick from outside the box.

Unlike the previous Saturday there was to be no late heroics and the game finished one all. As Town’s manager, Rob Nash pointed out in his post match interview “On reflection was probably a fair result”.

Report by Geoff Jackson

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