Marine 0 Slimbridge 1

Match Report from Pete Crockett

Marine Grounded as Swans take flight

A grey afternoon of scudding clouds and sudden heavy showers saw Swindon Supermarine’s five-match winning run come quietly to an end. There was no calamity here, merely one of those days football periodically provides when a side which has lately found so much coming naturally suddenly finds very little coming at all.

For Slimbridge, beaten 7-2 by Marine in the league only ten days earlier, this was a rather different afternoon. They defended resolutely, attacked with purpose and, by the end, were worthy winners.

The first opening fell to the visitors. Jack Smith’s neat touch took him beyond a Marine defender before he found Olly Sully, whose dummy made the space for a shot which went wide.

Marine’s best football of the opening half came after 20 minutes. Sam Turl and Marcel Lewis combined well before Gabe Reivers flashed a dangerous ball across goal, agonisingly beyond the stretching Conor McDonagh.

Just after the half-hour Joel Halliday saved well from Sully’s skidding drive. Five minutes later Lewis provided a tantalising glimpse of what Marine were capable of, embarking upon a mazy run which left defenders in his wake. Having done the difficult part, however, he entered the area with only the goalkeeper to beat and blazed over.

On 40 minutes Sal Abubakar drove into the box and found Lewis in the inside-right channel, but his effort was deflected wide for a corner.

Slimbridge emerged after the interval with the greater menace. On 54 minutes a trebuchet of a throw from keeper Callum Godfrey sailed well beyond the halfway line, briefly startling the Marine defence before Tawana Changa restored order with an excellent challenge.

By now the visitors looked the likelier scorers. On 66 minutes Jacob Rodgers released Smith, who bore down on goal only for Halliday to produce a splendid save. Soon afterwards Casey Collins met a corner firmly at close range, but Halliday reacted superbly again, somehow keeping the ball out before gratefully gathering it off the post. The Marine reprieve proved temporary.

In the 78th minute Sully collected the ball outside the penalty area, turned his man and drove a low shot decisively into the bottom corner. It was a fine goal and, on the balance of the afternoon, no more than Slimbridge deserved.

Marine huffed and puffed thereafter, but a well-organised Slimbridge defence was not for blowing down. Indeed, for all Marine’s endeavour, they finished the afternoon without having seriously tested the visiting goalkeeper.

It had been a scrappy affair, very competently handled by referee David Money and his assistants.

Marine never really discovered the rhythm which had served them so well during their five successive victories. Halliday and the back four emerged with most credit, their sound defending keeping the contest alive until the end.

Yet only the most curmudgeonly Marine supporter would be too severe about it. After such an encouraging opening to the competitive season this was less a cause for recrimination and more a bad day at the office — unwelcome, certainly, but hardly a crisis.

The afternoon belonged instead to Slimbridge. Ten days after conceding seven against the same opponents, they worked prodigiously, defended with determination and carried the greater threat. Revenge may be too theatrical a word for it; redemption perhaps comes nearer. Their place in the next round was thoroughly deserved.

And for Marine? One swallow does not make a summer, and one defeat need not herald an autumn. There will be better afternoons.

Attendance: 182

Come on Marine!

LINE UP’S

MARINE

Subs not used: Eldad Adjei
The editors Star Players: Joel Halliday

Manager:	Tom Deakin & Michael Palmer
Line-up:	Colours: All Green
No	Player	Goals	Card	No	Substitute	Goals	Card
1.	Callum Godfrey (GK)
2.	Josh Blyth
3.	Jacob Rodgers		67’
4.	Theo Lynden
5.	Luke Bence
6.	Charlie Matthews
7.	Oliver Sully	79’		12.	Mark Holmes 81’
8.	Alex Bell		93’
9.	Leighton Green			14.	Theo Browne 69’
10.	Jack Smith (c)			16.	George Shutt 90’
11.	Casey Collins

Subs not used: 15. Joe Stokes
The editors Star Player: Charlie Matthews