Gloucester City 3 Marine 1

Match Report from Pete Crockett

Gloucester City sink Marine

There was something Shakespearian about the day with its wintery mist and the dankness - it was certainly a match with three acts.

Act One – As you like it (0 to 30 minutes)

Marine survived an early scare when Dan Leadbitter found Joe Hanks who fired over from close range when he should at least have hit the target. The preliminary exchanges were fairly even with Marine holding their own defensively and looking a threat on the break.

Just before the quarter of an hour of the match Marine took the lead. Michael Fernandes outpaced his marking full back and zipped a dangerous cross into the home team’s penalty area. The Gloucester defenders did well to block a couple of efforts on goal but eventually the ball bounced in front of Ryan Campbell who hooked his close range shot past home team keeper Jared Thompson to give Marine the lead.

For the next quarter of an hour Marine defended well and were a constant threat on the counterattack with Michael Fernandes menacing the home team defence with his mazy runs. Thus far things were very much as you like it for Marine supporters.

Act Two – The Tempest (31 minutes to 60 minutes)

It looked like it was going to take something a bit special to prise open a resolute Marine defence. But that moment arrived on the 31st minute. Harry Pinchard picked up the ball from an Ed Williams flick. Some 25-yards from goal he decided to run directly at the visiting defence. He looked to be dribbling to his right as he entered the box.

He then deftly drew the ball back to his left foot creating a yard of space, and with his left foot he caressed the ball just inside the far post for an excellent individual goal. It is always tempting when your team concedes to look for a fault in the defending but sometimes the harsh reality is the team you support has just been outdone by the skill of an opponent.

Marine rallied from this setback and went close when the mercurial Michael Fernandes cut inside and forced a good near post save from Jared Thompson who parried the effort wide of his near post with an excellent save as the shot had a lot of pace and on another day would have beaten most keepers.

In the 45th minute Dan Leadbitter drove down to the dead ball line and hit a low cross to the front post. Where former Marine player Kieran Phillips did what good strikers do and made a short sharp run to the front post. He got a foot ahead of the nearest Marine defender and stabbed the ball home. This was a morale sapping goal in the sense that instead of going in at half time on level terms Marine found themselves, some might argue harshly, a goal behind.

The early stages of the second half saw Marine put some dangerous early crosses into the host’s penalty area but these were well defended. The hosts got a third when the irrepressible Harry Pinchard beat two Marine defenders on the left edge of the area. He then slid the ball to Keiran Phillips who from just inside the six-yard box netted a tap in past the diving Fiachra Pagel. This spell was very much the tempest that undid Marine!

Act three – Much ado about nothing (60 minutes to full time)

To be honest this phase of the match was all a bit something of nothing. Marine worked hard to get back into the match but rarely looked like breaching the host’s defence. Meanwhile Gloucester City were happy to keep things tight at the back and look to sting the visitors with threatening attacks of their own - Fiachra Pagel in the Marine goal being forced to make a couple of sharp saves.

Closing thoughts

Credit to Gloucester City who fully deserved their victory. Harry Pinchard was the pick of their players scoring the first and setting up the third. Looking at his performance he very much looked a player who could, and probably should, be playing at a higher level. Right back Dan Leadbitter also caught the eye with his surging overlaps. Kieran Phillips took his two opportunities well and showed a goal scorer’s instincts around the six-yard box.

The reality is that for Marine is to win at places like Gloucester City a confluence of events have to occur. Firstly you hope your hosts have an off day; you then need all your own players to be at their very best; and you also need to take most of the chances you make so as to create the jitters in your opponents. Alas after a shaky start the hosts, either side of half time, found their killer instinct.

Meanwhile Marine paid for not converting a second in the early exchanges where they genuinely troubled the hosts. There were positives for Marine – Fiachra Pagel put in an impressive shift between the sticks; Michael Fernandes, particularly in the first half, troubled the home team defence; and both Ioan Richards and Liam Angel got some valuable game time.

The doom-mongers will look at three away defeats in a row and prophesise the worst. However, the reality is it was always going to be tough to come away with points from high flying AFC Totton and Gloucester City. At Totton it would be fair to say Marine deserved a point, but the Gloucester performance was, in reality, not quite up to that standard.

The defeat at Frome Town was disappointing but also requires some perspective in light of the Somerset teams Boxing Day 5-0 victory against a Plymouth Parkway side who had, in their previous match, beaten Gloucester City 6-0. Try making sense of this league! Now is a time for those of a Marine disposition to keep calm and carry on.

Come on Marine!

Gloucester Star Man: Harry Pinchard
Marine Star Man: Fiachra Pagel
Attendance: 1,467

Line Ups

GLOUCESTER CITY
Manager: Mike Cook
Colours: Red & Black
Line-up: 1. Jared Thompson 2. Dan Leadbitter 13. Joe Hanks (15. Jacob Evans 59’) 4. Ty Duffus 14. Ben Richards-Everton 16. Kevin Dawson (c) (10. Dayle Grubb 70’) 7. Ed Williams 8. Harry Pinchard (12. Jadyn Crosbie 77’) 9. Kieran Phillips 17. Harry Emmett 18. Obinna Anaebonam (11. Brad Smalley 68’)
Subs not used: 6. Dan Ball
Goalscorers: Harry Pinchard 31’ , Kieran Phillips 45’, 51’
Cards:
None
None
None

SWINDON SUPERMARINE
Head Coach: Stuart Fleetwood
Colours: All Yellow
Line-up: 1. Fiachra Pagel 2. Sam Turl 3. Ryan Campbell 4. Jake Lee 5. Ioan Richards (16.Liam Angel 65’) 6. Jamie Edge (15.Gabe Reivers 59’) 7. Anton Dworzak 8. Liban Ibrahim (14. Olly Mehew 51’) 9. Dave Sims-Burgess (12.Zack Kotwica 59’) 10. Michael Fernandes 11. Harry Williams
Subs not used: 13. Dan Brabham)
Goalscorers: Ryan Campbell 14’
Cards:
None
None
None

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Courtesy of Alex White Photography

Post Match Teamsheet

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Courtesy of Southern Football League

Match Officials

Referee: Neil Templey
Assistant Referees: Cliff Gardiner, Paul Sparrow