Tor Guide.

– Saturday 18th May 2024
– 15:00 Kick Off
– Attendance: 118
– Distance Travelled: 62 miles
– Full Photo Gallery

– Somerset County League – Division Two
– Abbeymoor Stadium, Glastonbury
– Weather: Rain showers, some sun
– Admission: £3
– Programme: N/A

Intro

A successful season for Glastonbury has seen them promoted to Division One of the Somerset County League in 2nd place, behind Imperial FC. After a couple of seasons finishing mid-table, The Dollies convincingly secured their promotion losing just 3 league games so far. They got off to a great start; winning their opening 5 league games and not losing until November. Oddly their most recent game, last Saturday, was away at the temporary home of today’s opponents in Tunley. That game ended in a close 2-2 draw.

A repeat of that score line won’t help Chew Magna; they need a win to have any chance of sneaking into the 3rd promotion spot and joining Glastonbury in Division One next season. They will also need Congresbury to fail to win today against Hutton. Should Magna win and Congresbury draw, the former will be promoted on goal difference. There may well be some tired legs in the Yellows’ ranks as they played on Thursday night – a vital 3-0 away win at relegated Cheddar Reserves.

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The Ground

Abbey Moor Stadium has been home to Glastonbury FC since 1982, and has previously also operated as a greyhound racing track. It is a brilliant ground for this level with plenty of cover and a large car park. It is to the north west of town and offers views of the famous Glastonbury Tor, with the remains of St Michael’s Church at the summit.

Entry is through an old turnstile and immediately ahead, once through, is a large club house with plenty of covered standing space to watch the action from. Also on this side is a covered stand with a couple of rows of benched seating. Opposite are the slightly unusual dugouts behind which is a allotment. Behind each goal is a grassy area from where the games can be watched.

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The Match

The opening exchanges were largely dominated by the hosts as they looked to finish their season on a high, and thwart Chew Magna’s dreams of promotion. The two best Glastonbury chances of the first period came just after the halfway point. First, a corner landed at the feet of Callum French whose vicious shot was deflected wide. 3 minutes later the Dollies’ Phil Wake was brought down in the box by the Luke Moysey. It looked a bit harsh, and arguably justice was done when Chew Magna keeper George Pickford made a great save to deny the penalty. He couldn’t hold it and would’ve been relieved to see the follow-up scrape the crossbar.

The visitors looked more of a threat in the 2nd half, but not before Glastonbury’s Jake Leavy volleyed over after he was found by a pinpoint diagonal ball. A minute later Magna’s Callum Hodge was through on goal and shot just wide. Play was brought back for an earlier foul. Hodge found himself in a promising position again 2 minutes later, but was forced wide by the Glastonbury keeper Gareth Lamb. Hodge decided to cross but his centre was put behind by the diving header of Ely Bentley. The deadlock was broken from the ensuing corner as a firm header beat the Lamb. The Chew Magna lead didn’t last long as Liam Bond slotted home a low shot 4 minutes later. Lamb was perhaps lucky to stay out of the referees note book with 15 minutes remaining, as he took out the Niall Hodge just outside the box. Drew Shore took the free kick which flew narrowly off target. It was a decent hit.

Into the final 10 minutes and the visitors really started to press for the winner. First Callum Hodge jabbed a shot just wide after a corner caused chaos in the 6 yard box. Then, Hodge seemed to win the ball off of a dawdling Sam Mullins but the referee blew for a foul. With 2 minutes to go, Chew Magna defender Louis Richards decided to take things into his own hands with a storming run through the midfield. He released a through-ball towards Niall Hodge, but it was too far ahead and Gareth Lamb got there first. Glastonbury nearly won it in time added on as Pickford misjudged a goal kick from Lamb. It bounced over him and he found himself in a foot race with Wake. Pickford got there first but spilt the ball in the process. Wake nicked the ball away but couldn’t find the target from close range.

It was heartache for Chew Magna who would’ve been promoted with a win as Congresbury suffered a 6-0 defeat in Hutton. Glastonbury is a fantastic place to watch football – good facilities, friendly locals, enthusiastic fans and wonderful views of the Tor. Good luck to them in Division One next season; I’m sure I’ll be back for another visit soon.

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