Bracknell Town 4 Marine 2

Match Report from Aleck Everard

MARINE PAY THE PRICE FOR SLOW START

Swindon Supermarine had a rare Friday night trip to Sandhurst as they took on the newly promoted Bracknell Town looking to bounce back from a rare home loss last weekend. Manager Lee Spalding made just the one change with Brad Hooper replacing Jamie Edge in midfield and the start couldn’t have been worse. With literally their first attack the Robins opened the scoring. KAMERON ENGLISH broke the back line of Marine, although it looked a tight offside call, and he made no mistake from close range drilling hard into the goal for 1-0 after just three minutes.

Sam Turl was booked after just six minutes on the clock after sliding in late on the home keeper Michael Eacott. Zack Kotwica went close just after the booking with an effort scraping the post on the way past. But before Marine had time to get over that close chance it was 2-0 to the home team. JOE GRANT picked up the ball 30-yards from goal and had a pot shot which absolutely flew into the top corner giving Marine keeper Liam Armstrong no chance.

Going two down seemed to spark Marine into life and after some sustained possession and pressure they pulled one back in the 20th minute. The ball came to ZACK KOTWICA just outside the box and he struck it low into the corner just out of the reach of the keeper, his seventh goal of a productive season. Armstrong then kept Supermarine in the game with a superb one-handed flick over the bar from a fierce Darryl Sanders effort before George Dowling came close to a leveller after Zack Kotwica’s cross came into the box for Dowling to connect with the ball at the back post and with the keeper stranded defender Jack Dean cleared his effort off the line.

With the game end to end on thirty-five minutes came the decisive incident of the game. After a couple of blocked efforts, the ball came over to Mickel Platt on the in front of goal and from the edge of the penalty box his powerful shot appeared to strike Will Tunnicliff on his chest, but the match official decided that it was in fact a hand and opted to award a penalty kick and a red card for Tunnicliff, in what appeared a tough call both for the player and the Marine team. MICKEL PLATT stepped up and made no mistake from the spot leaving Marine a tough ask for the remainder of the game. This was not helped just minutes later when centre back Tyrone Duffus was forced off with a groin injury with Leon Morrison coming on and Ryan Campbell dropping back to left back.

It was going to be a tough ask in the second period, but Marine were actually looking the protagonists early on as the hosts struggled to work out how to deal with the extra man they had. Top scorer Harry Williams was causing issues for the back line and on fifty-two minutes appeared to be clipped in the box, but the referee waved away the load appeals from the Marine players. A minute later a cross in from Kotwica was agonisingly just had too much on it as Williams came charging in and then Williams showed some excellent trickery to work his way into the box, but he dragged his his effort was just wide of goal.

On the hour Conor McDonagh entered the fray replacing Joe Tumelty as Marine looked to freshen it up and Williams again went down in the box when through on seventy-one minutes but this time the decision not to award a spot kick looked the right one after he went over after a challenge. Kotwica was next to attack and his flick forward towards Williams appeared to strike an arm in the box but once again the decision was not given. George Dowling who ran himself into the ground on the night had a strong effort deflect just over the bar before Bracknell worked a great move only to finish poorly from one yard out to somehow put it over the bar with ten minutes left to go.

A fourth goal came for the home team when JOE GRANT hit a shot into the corner of the goal from close range on 81 minutes, for his second of the match. Despite this Marine continued to battle hard, Brad Hooper hitting an effort over the top and McDonagh steering a chance close in just wide. With five added minutes on the clock, they finally got some reward for their continued endeavours after Zack Kotwica was brought down in the box and HARRY WILLIAMS struck home a firm shot from the penalty spot to make it 4-2 on the night and 23 goals for the season for the inform striker. Overall, a brave effort after going down to ten men, at many times Marine played the better football but ultimately the slow start cost us the points on the night.

Fans star man:George Dowling for a superb effort rate and seemed to be at the centre of everything good for Swindon on the night.

Attendance: 226

Line Ups

BRACKNELL TOWN
Colours: Red & Black
Manager: Jamie McLurg
Line-up: 1. Michael Eacott 2. Jack Dean 3. Ethan Burden 4. Sean Fraser 5. Dan Bayliss (c) 6. Ashley Lodge (15. Liam Tack 76’) 7. Joe Grant (17. Jose Sani 82’) 8. George Knight 9. Mickel Platt 10. Darryl Sanders 11. Kameron English (16. Magnus Suen Junior Abisogun 68’)
Subs not used: 12. Olukayode Osu, 14. Anthony Cheshire
Goalscorer: Kameron English 3’, Joe Grant 8’, 81’ Mickel Platt 36’pen
Editors Star Man: Joe Grant
Cards:
George Knight 35’
None
None

SWINDON SUPERMARINE
Manager: Lee Spalding
Colours: All Blue
Line-up: 1. Liam Armstrong 2. Sam Turl 3. Will Tunnicliff 4. Mat Liddiard (c) 5. Brad Hooper 6. Tyrone Duffus (16. Leon Morrison 39’) 7. Zack Kotwica 8. Joe Tumelty (12. Conor McDonagh 62’) 9. Harry Williams 10. George Dowling 11. Ryan Campbell
Subs not used: 14. Jamie Edge, 15. James Harding, 17. Henry Spalding
Goalscorers: Zack Kotwica 20’ Harry Williams 90’pen
Editors Star Man: George Dowling
Cards:
Sam Turl 6’, Harry Williams 35’
Will Tunnicliff 34’
None

Supermarine TV

Highlights Courtesy of Mike Wray

Post Match Team Sheet

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Match Officials

Referee: Adam Steele
Assistant Referees: Jake Atkinson, Adam Parry