Brim and Proper.

– Saturday 12th October 2024
– 15:00 Kick Off
– Attendance: 70
– Distance Travelled: 72 miles
– Full Photo Gallery

– Hellenic League – Premier Division
– The Meadow, Brimscombe
– Weather: Mostly sunny, cool
– Admission: £7
– Programme: Online only

Intro

Bottom of the pile Brimscombe & Thrupp already have an unenviable goal difference of -47. This unwelcome statistic comes largely courtesy of two consecutive thrashings within four September days of each other. On September 21st they hosted Westfields who mercilessly defeated the Lilywhites 11-0, then the following Wednesday Brimscombe headed south to face off against Roman Glass St George but somehow managed an even worse result; losing 12-0 at the Gloucestershire FA HQ. Despite these two low points, it’s not been all doom and gloom – last weekend they travelled to Sporting Club Inkberrow at came away with a 2-1 victory. The Lilywhites’ other victory came at home to Cirencester Town, and with a couple of games in hand over a number of teams around them it shouldn’t take too much to climb the table.

Worcester Raiders sit in 9th position and haven’t suffered defeat since mid-September when they lost away at Highworth Town. They have drawn half of their 14 games so far including back-to-back 3-3 ties with Slimbridge and Cirencester Town. An impressive 6-0 win over promotion hopefuls Corsham Town last weekend demonstrates the potential of this Raiders side. They enjoyed a midweek win in the County Cup against Malvern Town, so on the one hand they have built up some momentum, but also have had less of a break than their hosts today.

On paper this looks like a win for the visitors, however Brimscombe have brought in a number of new signings so who knows! Let’s hope for a competitive game with plenty of talking points.

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The Ground

Brimscombe and Thrupp are neighbouring villages in the Frome Valley, just south and east of Stroud. The shared football club is just off the main road connecting the two villages. It is a very pleasant place in which to watch a game of football. There is a big car park which is useful as I imagine public transport isn’t amazing around here. Half of the perimeter of the pitch is surrounded by raised ground, making it possible to obtain an elevated view of the action (although you can also stand at pitch level here too). There is a good sized covered stand with both seating and standing room along one touchline. Also on this side, in the far corner is the club house from which I was glad to be able to buy a pin badge. Outside of the club house is an outdoor seating area from where you can also watch the game. This option was proving popular with today’s attendees due to the somewhat rare sunny day we were enjoying.

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The Match

It wasn’t until the 13th minute that either team had a meaningful effort on goal – Worcester’s Liam Banks seeing his shot deflected wide by a defender. 3 minutes later Brimscombe’s Joe Stokes sent a deep free kick towards the back post; Captain Leroy Odiero met the ball with his head but could only find the side netting. Halfway into the first half Raider’s goalkeeper Charlie Emery was lucky to escape any punishment for clattering Raiyan Ahmed just outside the area. The resulting free kick was struck well by Stokes but was too close to Emery to cause any real problems. Ahmed was causing problems again soon after – he was almost played through on goal but was being hounded by the Raiders defense. He managed to let a shot fly, but again it was too near to Emery. The final chance of the game fell to the away side, as flying full back Jade Ferron aimed an effort towards Billy Thomas’ goal, but it was easy for the keeper to gather.

Arguably – and somewhat surprisingly – the hosts had the better 1st half. So it must have been frustrating for the home fans when Raiders took an early lead in the 2nd. A scramble in the Lilywhites’ box saw the ball eventually fall to Jordan Edwards who side-footed home and celebrated Cole Palmer-style. The visitors could have had a penalty 6 minutes later as Ben Sanogo was sent sprawling by Nathan Marks. The referee had other ideas, however, and told Sanogo to get to his feet. Charlie Emery soon found himself to be Raiders’ hero – pulling off an incredible save to deny Brimscombe an equaliser. A freekick was sent goalwards, took a few touches on the way, but Emery got down superbly to palm the ball away. The hosts threatened again with 15 minutes remaining – a cross-shot from Chalmers Phin just evaded the sliding Harrison Archer at the back post. Brimscombe looked certain to score again just after – pinball in the Worcester penalty area this time, but the home side couldn’t force the ball over the line. Emery will take a decent amount of credit for making at least one save in the chaos. The loose ball was met by Dan Hanson but his effort was high and wide of the mark. With 9 minutes remaining Raiders seemed to put the game to bed – good work by Adam Hanson out wide and the substitute managed to find Jordan Murphy in the penalty area. Under pressure the Worcester captain was able to release a shot and put the away team 2 up. 6 minutes later it was 3. Ferron was dragged back and brought down in the box. Murphy took the penalty and confidently dispatched it past Billy Thomas.

Arguably the final score flattered the visitors, with the lowly hosts impressing and would consider themselves unlucky not to have at least got on the scoresheet. I was pleased to tick off this ground as it had been on my bucket list for a long time. It did not disappoint and I would recommend a visit to anyone!

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