Corsham A v Marlborough B

Tom Devenish reports.

Safe to say the stand in Captain got the plan wrong. Bottom of the table Corsham pressed Marlborough for long periods in the first half. Marlborough’s attacking setup created no chances of note.

Midway through the first period defender Doug Rogan Rea bravely put his body on the line to block a Corsham shot from the top of the area. The unfortunate deflection saw the ball strike the defender in the jaw and brought an end to his game.

Marlborough scrambled to make defensive changes to deal with the pressure, Corsham soon scored to make it 1-0 to the home team. The arrival of Rob Hues allowed for a shuffle about to a more traditional formation, the objective was clear. Get to the break without conceding again.

Wholesale changes to the tactics during the break paid off immediately. Marlborough were no longer naive to the home teams ability and protected the centre of the pitch as a unit. The goals soon started to rain down and changed the feel of the game; with the away team leading 1-2 the space started to open up.

A serious head injury to a Corsham player lead to an extended stop in play. When the game restarted Corsham wasted no time in levelling the game. Credit to the away team team for remaining positive making the score 2-3, before another equaliser. Marlborough pushed on and forced another 2 goals.

The final result doesn’t reflect the competitive nature of the fixture, a very good game for the neutral. Special mention to all the goal scorers: Harry Strover (2), Chris Newton, Wayne Cranstone and Rob Hues.

Hopefully both injured players get well soon.