League Play-Off

Gedling
Spectators: 41 (Terracing: 32, Seating: 9, VIP seats: 0) Gedling United's Daniel Swallow started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. Clive Kidd's shot straight on target was not completely harmless. The ball had pretty good speed, but Cliff Higgins firmly grabbed it by the left post. After having played for 6 minutes, Daniel Swallow managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Gedling United's supporters crossed their fingers, but Daniel Swallow was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Stefan Bennett struck a weak shot in the 10th minute. Ged Deacon didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Sidmouth. 12 minutes into the game, Stefan Bennett cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 0-1. Ged Deacon was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. When Daniel Swallow came up free with the goalie in the 17th minute, the Gedling United fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Daniel Swallow couldn't finish the play. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Daniel Swallow in the 19th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Cliff Higgins prevented the ball from getting in the gole. In the 23rd match minute, Gedling United was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Pete Hooker to maneuver through the defense. After 24 played minutes, Sidmouth's Dave Key shot from a long distance, and at first it looked like the ball was going into the goal, but the goalkeeper Ged Deacon came through and got his fingers on the ball before it flew over the goal line. He then quickly gripped the ball tighter before the forwards in Sidmouth reached it. After having played for 27 minutes, Stefan Bennett managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Sidmouth's supporters crossed their fingers, but Stefan Bennett was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Ged Deacon showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Vinnie Winterbine, who was totally free with the ball in the 29th minute. In the 30th minute, Stefan Bennett hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Stefan Bennett was in a good position and ended up with the ball after Sidmouth's free kick, but he didn't get a good hit on the ball and blazed it high and to the right of the goal. Ged Deacon showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Vinnie Winterbine, who was totally free with the ball in the 32nd minute. 38 minutes into the match, Gedling United's goal looked a bit too open when Vinnie Winterbine came free, but Ged Deacon reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After having played for 45 minutes, Larry Lawton managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Gedling United's supporters crossed their fingers, but Larry Lawton was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Cliff Higgins took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Daniel Swallow, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The Gedling United players were disheartened as they walked off the pitch after the first half. Sidmouth were winning 0-1.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Vinnie Winterbine to make the kick off. Clive Kidd received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 54th minute. Cliff Higgins tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. The audience was convinced that Daniel Swallow's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Cliff Higgins was relentless in the 55th minute of the game. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Daniel Swallow in the 62nd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Cliff Higgins prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Ged Deacon made an important save on a dangerous shot by Stefan Bennett in the 66th minute. In the 66th minute, Larry Lawton hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 67 minutes into the match, Vinnie Winterbine notched a goal, 1-2, to the right of Gedling United's Ged Deacon. Ged Deacon was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. Cliff Higgins made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Clive Kidd in the 72nd minute of play. In the 74th minute, Clive Kidd made a precise shot to the right of Cliff Higgins. Sidmouth's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 2-2. When Vincent Moyle fell near the penalty area in the 78th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Gedling United's protests and gave Vincent Moyle a yellow card for diving instead. After 78 played minutes Gedling United got a freekick which was hit by Vincent Moyle. During the 82nd minute of the match Pete Hooker completely mistimed his tackle and brought down his opponent. The referee gave Pete Hooker a yellow card, his second in the match, which meant he could no longer take part in the game. Pete Hooker kicked well hit freekick during the 83rd minute of the match. Clive Kidd recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 87th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. The Sidmouth players were the happier at the end of the match as they had prevented Gedling United from taking control. The game ends in a draw.