KJM SPORT REPORT Saltash United 0 Buckland Athletic 2
- Details
- Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 November 2023 16:54
- Published on Sunday, 26 November 2023 16:48
- Written by KEVIN MARRIOTT Cornwall football's touchline ace
Ben Carter’s direct free kick gave the visitors a seventh minute breakthrough and Cieran Bridger doubled the lead to give the Ashes an uphill battle which they couldn’t win.
Saltash were more than a match for their high-riding Western Premier opponents but they lacked a quality finisher when opportunities came along.
Ashes boss Macca Brown said: “I think credit needs to go to Buckland to be honest. I said to Harty afterwards it was a very un-Buckland like performance and I mean that with the greatest respect.
“I have always enjoyed coming up against Dan’s sides in recent years because the game always has that feel of ‘we’ll score one more than you’ about it from both sides.
“I have always felt like they’d give us a chance in a game and that we’d be able to score regardless, but I thought it was a serious performance from them, arguably a perfect away display and I’m sure Dan is delighted with that as much as the result because those are signs that you can challenge.
“We weren’t at it in the first 15 minutes at all, and that’s when they hurt us. A direct free kick is poor from our point of view but it’s a clever strike under our jumping wall and then the second goal was a snapshot with quality that Jordan (Duffey) had no chance with.
“I thought they could go on and hurt us at that point, but to be fair we really settled into it and started controlling the game but l thought they showed a level of maturity that won them the game.
“Instead of searching for a third and potentially getting caught, they sat in, defended the edge of their box, and made it incredibly tough for us.
“We had so much of the ball, we were practically penning them in their half in the second 45 minutes but we didn’t have the quality to break them down.
“That’s where they were different, up at Homers Heath a couple of months ago they were 3-1 up against us but the game was still very open and we pegged it back to 3-3 before conceding late, but there was no chance of that happening.
“It’s like land of the giants back there for them and it’s very hard to break that down.
“We had some really good chances in the first half and Tylor (Love-Holmes) made some really good saves, but we should have done better in those moments, but we didn’t really create anything of note in the second half. That’s just where we are at the moment.
“We’ve lost some key players and it’s hurt us in terms of scoring goals and we must work it out and find a way.
“In the first 17 games of the season we were averaging 2.3 goals per game; however, since Kia (O’Melia) was injured and we lost (Jordan) Ewing it’s down to 0.3 goals per game.
“We are creating some great chances but we just aren’t hurting teams when we get the chance and even the last two goals we’ve scored against Bridgwater and Helston have had an element of luck to them.
“So that’s something we must work out, we are doing so well but we may need to adapt to cater for the type of players we have in the front line at the moment.”
Brown added: “I love watching us, when we are on the front foot and exciting but it’s a sinking feeling without the results.
“We could just sit in and counter like teams do but we can take positives from the fact that we’ve gone punch for punch with Bridgwater, Helston and Buckland in recent weeks and really have not been that far away.
“We have no game next week, so can have some time to reflect and find some answers before Millbrook on the 9th.”
Saltash: J Duffey, B Goulty, E Wright, E Goodman, H Greening, A Goulty, T Love-Holmes, J Toulson (M Toms 86), T Badcott (L Murray 74), J Johnson (J Curtis 70), J Preece.
Subs not used: J Jefford, T Huyton.
Buckland: T Coombes, T Rosenquest, S Morcom, C Watson, R Shanley, O Stockton, B Carter (Hendrickson 62), C Bridger (J Grant 62), R Bush (S Stayt 62), J Lewington, M James.
Subs not used: F Clark, A Collings (gk).
Attendance: 154.
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