Yellows Off the Mark Thanks to Early Lewington Goal
Buckland Athletic responded from the disappointment of FA Cup exit in the best way possible on Tuesday evening with a win, a clean sheet and an accomplished performance in their Western League opener away at Bridport Town.
With both sides playing under new managers this season, a decent result will have meant a lot but it was Jared Lewington who settled the visitors’ nerves with an early goal, climbing above the Bees’ flat-footed back line to find the net with a backwards header. A strong defensive performance kept the Dorset team at bay for the rest of the half, with the hosts able to count their efforts on one hand. At the other end, only a great piece of work from defender Matt Condliffe prevented a worse scoreline at the break.
Both sides created more after the break and a flurry of activity around the hour mark saw both Andy Martin and Gav Hammon firing over. Jason Hutchings, Bridport’s goalkeeper, was called into action inside the last ten minutes as Bucks sought to kill the game off and the fact that the shot-stopper was awarded the home side’s man of the match award tells its own story.
1 for the cameras from @Bridportfc keeper pic.twitter.com/GHhW02eRRQ
— Buckland Athletic (@OfficalBAFC) 9 August 2016
Buckland’s next test comes on Saturday with Gillingham Town, another Dorset club, the first to visit Homers Heath this season. With 11 goals scored and none conceded last season, Ellis Laight and co. will be hoping for a similar outcome in this campaign.
