Call it a Draw.

– Tuesday 22nd August 2023
– 19:45 Kick Off
– Attendance: 32
– Distance Travelled: 42 miles
– Full Photo Gallery

– Western League – Division One
– BTRA Sports Ground, Bristol
– Weather: Sunny, mild.
– Admission: £6
– Programme: £1

Intro

Saturday saw Bristol Telephones beat Hallen 1-0 in an away win that was the latest result in a topsy-turvy beginning to the season for the south Bristol club. Currently 8th in the league, the Phones have won 4 and lost 3 of their 7 games so far. A home win over Odd Down was swiftly followed by a 4-3 loss to Cribbs Reserves as the season began with a bang. A slightly concerning loss to struggling Gillingham Town is probably the low point of the season so far.

League newcomers Middlezoy Rovers – who won the Somerset County League last season – started life in the National League System with two wins. A 4-1 win away at Hallen gave them the perfect beginning and they followed that up with a 1-0 win over Bishop Sutton in south Somerset. They were brought back down to Earth with a couple of defeats to Bradford Town and Portishead Town, before beating Cadbury Heath. Their last game, at the weekend, was a 1-0 loss to Shirehampton, and Rovers currently lie in 12th position.

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The Ground

Bristol Telephones’ home is in Stockwood in the southern outskirts of Bristol. In the same immediate vicinity you can find plenty of football to watch; Stockwood Wanderers, and Cutters Friday of the Somerset County League, play their home games very nearby.

The BTRA Sports Ground is the most developed ground of the three; improvements had to be made to comply with the National League System requirements. Entering through the turnstile in the corner, straight ahead are the dugouts. Opposite these is the seated stand which consists of 2 rows of seats. At the far end, behind the goal is the most impressive stand in the ground. It’s only a few years old and is a fairly imposing covered terrace. The club house is just outside of the ground and on my way to it I was quickly identified as a groundhopper, and offered a cup of tea which I gratefully accepted.

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The Match

Middlezoy’s Charlie Bridges let fly with an ambitious shot from distance after 4 minutes; however it was skewed just past the post. A few minutes later the Phones broke away and were unlucky not to score as their number 15 went one on one with Travis Knapp. Initially I thought the effort was cleared off the line by a defender, but after reviewing my photos I’m not so sure. It could also have hit the woodwork, or Knapp may even have saved it. That number 15 had the ball in the back of the net on 12 minutes, an emphatic volley this time, but the linesman had his flag up and the goal was disallowed. The home number 7 forced a low save from Knapp, before the Phone’s right back volleyed straight at the keeper direct from a good ball into the box. On the half hour Telephones’ Craig Wilson had a 20 yard shot charged down which made it easy for Knapp to gather. That was the last real chance of the first half and the hosts were unlucky not to be ahead.

That bad luck lasted just 4 minutes as Wilson leapt highest and headed home from a free kick into the box. On 53 minutes Knapp almost fumbled the ball into the net, but was saved by a defender who cleared off the line. The second goal arrived 2 minutes later; a well-worked Phones attack resulted in a low ball into the box which was left for Wilson to finish from close range. Rovers looked dead and buried, and were perhaps looking for damage limitation rather than getting anything tangible from the match. Halfway through the second half and Middlezoy found themselves very aggrieved; a ball over the top to Dan Lismore who looked to break away from Phones sub Paddy Royal who slid in and tripped the striker when through on goal. It looked a certain red card for the defender, but the referee incredibly kept his cards in his pocket. Presumably the officials had decided a home defender would get back to cover. The visitors were growing into the game with a few tactical tweaks and substitutions seemingly making a difference. And they got their reward on 74 minutes as Liam Winter took on the home defence, cut onto his left foot and finished well past Matt Dunk. Winter fancied his chances from 30 yards just 2 minutes later as Middlezoy were awarded a dangerous-looking freekick. His effort had Dunk looking on helplessly, but narrowly missed the target. With 10 minutes to go Rovers thought they were level as a Winter daisy-cutter smacked off the post and to safety. 2 minutes were left on the clock when the equaliser finally arrived. Substitute Acey Mead living up to his name and applying the finishing touch, squeezing the ball just past Dunk and into the back of the net. The Phones couldn’t deal with the attack, and their left back had noticeably been struggling with an injury for some time. The away side had their point and seemed happy to settle for that. There were no chances of note late on, and the referee soon brought the action to a close.

Bristol Telephones is a great club to visit – decent facilities and friendly locals in a good location. Their team is a very physical one and are unlikely to make it easy for any team they face this season.

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