Match report: Bashley FC suffer Southern League Division One disappointment in 1-0 Tavistock AFC loss despite creating plenty of chances
Bashley will probably still be scratching their collective heads, wondering how they lost 1-0 to Tavistock AFC despite dominating most of the match away from home on Saturday.
The first real chance of the game fell to Bashley, wearing their all-white away kit. With seven minutes played, a cross from former Arnewood School pupil Jordan Chiedozie found Mitchell Speechley-Price, whose acrobatic effort flew narrowly wide of Aaron Dearing’s goal.
The hosts had their most dangerous moment halted by the linesman’s flag before Bashley had the ball in the back of the net. A freekick from Luke Holmes looked comfortable for Dearing, but a poor clearing punch allowed Speechley-Price to turn the ball home. Fortunately for the hosts, the busy linesman signalled for an offside.
Chiedozie was giving the Tavistock defence a nightmare of a time. He found space before slipping in Speechley-Price, who jinked around the box before smashing a shot towards the far corner, but Dearing saved well.
The Bashley chances kept coming, with decent efforts from Charlie Wooding and Lewis Waterfield going unconverted before Tavistock grew into the game.
After the break, Holmes played a delightful ball into Waterfield, whose shot from an improbable angle flew inches wide with Dearing rooted to the spot, looking well-beaten.
Moments later, the hosts broke the deadlock against the run of play. New signing Kieran Edworthy did excellently to evade Wooding on the flank before crossing into the area for Liam Prynn. Bashley goalkeeper and AFC Bournemouth loanee Mack Allan saved well, but the ball fell to Tyler Elliott, who smashed into the top-left corner.
Substitute Brett Williams had a decent chance down the home straight after Allan’s long ball. The veteran striker chested the ball down and fired at goal, and although the effort stung the palms of Dearing, the keeper held the call well.
In the game’s final minute of normal time, Bashley picked up the first card of the afternoon before the final chance of the game. Waterfield slipped the ball to Williams, whose ferocious shot hit the defender and bobbled away to safety.
Bashley will return to league action with two home games. First, against Thatcham Town on Tuesday at 7.45pm before facing Willand Rovers on Saturday at 3pm.
Bashley: M. Allan, C. Wooding, T. Edmondson, C. Baughan, D. Walster, L. Waterfield, L. Ross, L. Holmes, K. Samadi, M. Speechley-Price, J. Chiedozie. Subs: H. Bertrand, B. Williams, C. Whiteley, J. Arnold, T. Bailey.