Can we cancel half time please??

Despite taking a twelfth minute lead through Kieran Knight, the Missioners once again capitulated within five minutes of the break and slumped to their seventh successive league defeat. We now face positions 1 and 2 in our next two games and defeat next time out would see the Club lose 8 straight league games for the first time in its proud 98 year history.

It all started so well for the home side, twelve minutes had passed when Will Hendry headed forwards to Michael Bartley, his leap with his marker saw the ball fall to Kieran Knight 25 yards from goal and his sweetly struck left foot shot beat keeper Andrew Young and went in off the base of the post.

For the next ten minutes the visitors threw people forward almost at will, a right sided corner fell nicely to Ryan Lockett in the six yard box but Kevin Davies was on hand to block his effort right on the line, the ball however soon found its way to the left flank before being delivered again to Lockett who Davies duly denied again. Still the shots came forth as both Ashley Fuller and Greg Pearson tried their luck from distance without troubling Davies who was also well positioned to hold an angled drive from Matt Jones who had moved easily past Daniel Dyer to get his shot away.

The Missioners then had a little spell of pressure of their own, Gilbert Nuako hit an excellent cross from the left that dipped over the last defender to Sean Ridgway but his volley was weak and straight at Young and minutes later a Josh Scott corner from the right curled in on the wind and hit the face of the post before being scrambled to safety.

John Turner and Pearson then combined well only to be denied by Davies but the respite didn't last as the visitors pulled level just four minutes before the break. Dave Collis stepped up to take a free-kick that sailed deep into the area to be met by defender Paul Goodacre whose header looped over the stranded Davies and was helped over the line at the far post by Pearson.

Within sixty seconds it could have been advantage Hayes again, John Munday played the ball forwards to Scott who shrugged off his defensive marker but tried to place his shot into the corner giving Young chance to push the ball away, albeit only as far as Ridgway but his effort was blocked by skipper Rob Gilman.

Sadly as keeps happening we came out, allegedly, for the second half and conceded the crucial goal within five minutes although we did have a chance ourselves seconds earlier when Knight won the ball and fed Scott but his effort was wide of the target. From here the Bishop's launched the ball straight down the pitch to Turner who found strike partner Pearson who shrugged off the challenge of Peter Collins before easily slipping the ball past the unprotected Davies.

The goal came on 50 minutes and in all honesty that was my last notes of the game as the second half disintegrated into one of the most boring games of football I can remember for a great many years with neither side creating a single noteworthy chance, in fact the two keepers might as well have gone home, I wish I had!



Report by Kevin Watts.