---

Intro

The Yeovil & District League Division One consists of 11 teams. Bruton United are currently in 7th and I presume safe from relegation. All the same it doesn’t appear to have been a particularly memorable campaign for United with a poor goal difference in the league, and not much success in any cup competition. 5 of their 7 league wins have actually come since the turn of the year; 2 consecutive victories in September were the only 3 point hauls they could manage between August and December of last year.

Team Gryphon Reserves have had a better time of it and find themselves in 3rd place, but (I’m not sure how many teams will be promoted) I don’t think they’ll make promotion this time around. Their recent form has been a bit patchy with them holding league champions Templecombe Rovers to a 1-1 draw, but also losing to bottom side Pen Mill Athletic.

The reverse of this fixture, back in October, ended in a 4-1 win for Team Gryphon.

---

The Ground

Bruton is a small rural town in south Somerset. Conveniently (for me, without the car today) it has a train station with reasonably regular trains. Jubilee Park is to the south of the town and is loomed over by a centuries-old tower on an imposing hill known as the Bruton Dovecote. This provides a dramatic backdrop to the football pitch. It is all round a lovely place to take in a match, especially in the spring sunshine. The ground itself is little more than a pitch; there is a slightly raised grassy area along one touchline, while the changing rooms are in a small building nearby which also houses a nursery school.

---

The Match

Kicking off in glorious sunshine – and after the sides had swapped end as a result of the coin toss – both sides took a little while to get in any sort of rhythm and the ball spent a fair bit of time being booted out of play. The first shot on target came after 5 minutes with Team Gryphon’s Jake Taylor shooting straight at Bruton keeper Ryan Aldworth. The hosts were growing into the game when, on 14 minutes, they took the lead. It was direct from a free kick but whether the Bruton player meant it or not is another matter – his effort looped over visiting goalie Matt Clarke. The visitors looked to hit straight back through Ben Rogerson, but the forward’s low shot hit the outside of the post. A header just wide of the post from the hosts’ captain nearly doubled the Bruton lead, but it was the visitors who would score next. Jamie Rogerson was brought down in the box, allowing Rikiah Williams to confidently dispatch the spot kick. Bruton’s Harry McNairn was next to threaten from a corner, but his header was narrowly over the crossbar. A quick Gryphon counter attack almost saw them take the lead, but Aldworth turned the Gryphon number 6’s shot over the bar. Bruton’s aerial threat soon paid off as their tall number 5 buried a towering header on 38 minutes.

An impressive direct free kick clipped the woodwork early in the second half. Jack Lane the man taking aim from range. The away side were pushing for the equaliser, which finally came just after the hour mark. Gryphon captain Ollie Betts fired a shot through a crowd of players. It was saved initially by Aldworth but Jake Taylor reacted quickest to bury the rebound and draw things level. Soon after, Clarke was required to save with his feet, but the visitors were largely on top for the remainder of the second half. They had a number of corners but couldn’t find the finishing touch for a third time.

On the face of it this was probably a decent point for Bruton, and a draw was probably the fair result with neither side really dominating things. Jubilee Park is a really great place to take in a game of football.

---

The Photos

The full gallery of match photos is also available HERE