Saturday 8th September 2007

• Opponent: Shebbear United
• Fixture type: Devon County Cup
• Venue: Away
• Result: Lost 7-2
• Scorers: Daniel Woolf (2)

Match Report

The first game of the new season found Buckland struggling to raise a team with at least 5 players unavailable for various reasons. Only eleven fit players, which included veteran keeper John Adams and one slightly injured substitute, meant the trip to Shebbear for the opening game of the Devon County Cup was not going to be easy.

A hot & humid afternoon started well for Shebbear as the home side found themselves two goals to the good within the opening 5 minutes. Buckland’s defence were caught cold as the lively home team strikers easily penetrated their opponent’s rearguard. Buckland only settled slowly, but on 15 minutes new striker Danny Woolf found the net from 12yds to cut the deficit. Shebbear always held the upper hand and before the half hour mark had increased their advantage to 4 – 1. A bad head injury to debutant Rob Barnard forced Buckland to bring their substitute Jon Stanton into the action. Playing with a slight groin strain it meant his movement was rather restricted, but his efforts enabled Buckland to reach half time with the score remaining the same.

Within seconds of the final period starting a good pass from Ed Jonckheere found Danny Woolf on the edge of the Shebbear penalty area. His run took him past the keeper and he duly knocked the ball into an empty net to lift the Buckland spirits. Unfortunately the home side hit back almost immediately to score goal number five. With less than 20 minutes to play, keeper John Adams took a bad knock to the leg, but after several minutes treatment was able to continue. Five minutes later central defender Kevan Parker pulled a thigh muscle which resulted in the player having to leave the pitch. With only ten men Buckland came under increasing pressure and eventually conceded two further goals before the final whistle.

Man of the Match: Graham Moore (defender)