Ninth Home Win in a Row

When a bottom of the table team fighting for league survival is your opponent there is always that element of danger. It’s important not to take league position for granted and get caught out. Saturday’s opponents, Bristol Telephones sitting at the bottom of the division proved to be good opposition and played better than their league status would indicate. Warminster though wanted to continue their great run of home form and winning this match would make it 9 home wins in a row.

In glorious spring sunshine, a crowd of 109 would enjoy a good entertaining football match which shows what good value non-league football is in the Toolstation Western League. The final score in this entertaining game was Warminster Town 4 Bristol Telephones 0. This is how the game unfolded.

Warminster started very brightly with a high-intensity game, that in previous games had been missing until the second half. In the first 15 minutes, the home side had several chances including one in the sixth minute when Harry Barnes forced the keeper, Guest, into making a fine save, tipping the ball over the bar. Despite being bottom of the table The Phones played a good passing game and probably one of the best passing sides to be seen at Weymouth Street for a while. However, Warminster managed them well and worked hard to break up the passing by harrying their players whenever they had the ball.

For much of the first half, the home side pegged the visitors very much in their own half and limited them to very few opportunities to get anywhere near Nathan Ball’s goal giving him a much quieter day than in the last match against Radstock Town. The first goal came in the 29th minute following good work from Miluk, Mortimer-Taylor and Butler which resulted in a cross across the box and Jake Wright poked the ball home in the left-hand side of the goal.

4 minutes later a corner on the right was taken by Mortimer-Taylor and met by the head of Lewis Graham rising high and making it 2 – 0 to Warminster. The third goal came in the 40th minute when Butler making a terrific run on the left wing, squared the ball to Wright who then was able to fire home in the left-hand side of the goal. This made it 4 goals out of the last 3 games for Wright and well deserved for the effort he puts into each game.

At half-time, Jack Miluk returning from injury was substituted for Jake Herd. Captain Charlie Walton was also substituted early in the second-half for Stewart Lisowski. Lewis Graham in 63rd minute went close to making it 4 when he shot from the left almost along the byline and the ball ricocheted off the left-hand post, it first looked as though the keeper had punched it clear, however, a goal kick was awarded showing that it was the post that prevented a goal.

On 70 minutes a corner from the right for the home side was met by Johnson who got too much on the ball resulting in it going over the bar. 4 minutes later the fourth goal came when a ball through the centre put Wright through on goal. Wright with just the keeper to beat unselfishly squared the ball to Eben Mortimer-Taylor to slot the ball home. Warminster did not rest on their lead and continued to press throughout the rest of the match and created 4 good chances. The first two from Mortimer-Taylor one saved and the other over the bar, with two minutes to go, Butler, forced a saved and a minute later Graham did likewise.

This was a very solid performance by Warminster Town and places them in a good position to make a push for a top 5 place at the end of the season and confidence is high with 9 home wins in a row. This has been a wonderful turnaround in form compared to last season when as manager Andy Crabtree said on Twitter (@andythecrab) “last season we couldn’t win a corner!”. Andy’s comments after the game, “Really pleased with today’s performance. We played some good football on a very difficult surface. We’ve created a lot of chances and it’s good to see the lads enjoying themselves once again.”

Next game is away on Saturday, April 6th at Oldland Abbotonians and the next home game is on Saturday, April 13th when the visitors will be Bishop Sutton and perhaps making this a 10th home win in a row for The Red & Blacks.

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