Saturday 8th March 2008

• Opponent: Pilton
• Fixture type: League
• Venue: Home
• Result: Won 2-0
• Scorers: Vincent Bott (2)

Match Report

Buckland with the strong wind and rain at their backs during the opening half were made to work hard against a lively Pilton outfit. The initial 15 minutes were evenly contested with both teams struggling to deal with the conditions. With 20 minutes on the clock a fine run into the Pilton area by Gary Montague was brought to a halt by a defender, who firstly pulled his shirt and secondly tripped the player as attempted to pull clear. The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Vinny Bott drove the spot kick low into the corner of the net even though the keeper managed to get his hands to the ball. The home side continued to press forward for the remainder of the half but could not add to their total as the visitors defence held firm.

Ten minutes into the second period Vinny Bott burst into the opposition penalty area and almost reached the goal line before being tripped by a lunging defender. Amasingly the referee did not see the tackle as being worthy of a penalty. Minutes later Simon Adams latched onto a good through ball but was flagged offside by the linesman with only the keeper to beat. Several good scoring chances went begging during the next 20 minutes, including another disallowed goal for Simon Adams, as Buckland’s strikers strived to find the second all important goal. Pilton almost scored midway through the half, but were denied by a great save by Danny Barnes. Eventually with 15 minutes remaining another run by Vinny Bott was brought to a halt by the outstretched leg of a defender. This time the referee awarded a penalty. Vinny Bott smashed the resulting spot kick high into the net. Both substitutes were brought into the action for the final minutes as legs began to tire in the heavy conditions. Buckland’s defence held firm for the final minutes to record a well deserved victory.

Man of the Match: Vinny Bott (striker) & Matt Cann (midfield)