League Play-Off

Bristol Centre
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Nial Hold started the match with the kick off in front of an excited audience. An unexpectedly hard shot by Brandon Musgrove in the 4th minute of play forced Benfica's goalkeeper Leigh Woolford to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Ash Margarson struck a weak shot in the 6th minute. Ed Martin didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Benfica. Nial Hold received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 14th minute. Leigh Woolford tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 16th play minute Ash Margarson came free and shot an unsuspected shot which went into goal from the right pole behind a surprised Ed Martin. 1-0. In the 19thth minute of the game Nial Hold who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Benfica's Leigh Woolford was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Ash Margarson sent away a hard shot on goal in the 21st minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. Droylsden's goalkeeper couldn't reach when Adrian Goodall 23 minutes into the game got a good kick on the ball which found its way into goal just inside left pole. 2-0. After 32 played minutes Benfica got a freekick which was hit by Connor Purkiss. Ash Margarson struck a weak shot in the 38th minute. Ed Martin didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Benfica. The audience thought a goal was coming when Ash Margarson got free with Ed Martin in the 40th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. After 44 minutes, Ritchie Dunlop mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Benfica and the Droylsden players grew even worse after the yellow card. In the 44th match minute, Benfica was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Ritchie Dunlop to maneuver through the defense. After recieving a nice pass, Droylsden's Ivor Bridgewater tried to score from far away in the 45th minute, but the ball went over the crossbar. A collision led to Droylsden getting a freekick after 48 minutes play. John Daly hit a great ball. Gwyn Beesley was probably a little too eager to shoot when he, in the 49th played minute, shot the ball from way out. The shot was hard, but the ball flew wide of the goal. All the noise was coming from the home fans when the whistle went for half-time. The home team had fought hardest to put themselves in a deserved lead.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Adrian Goodall stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. Leigh Woolford was in exellent shape and made a fantastic save when he, in the 54th minute of the match, managed to get hold of the ball after a long shot from Lennie Delamore. Ash Margarson scored 3-0 in the 57th match minute with a shot that went into the goal to the right of Ed Martin, who was just a little too slow in reacting to the shot. Ed Martin made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Adrian Goodall in the 61st minute of play. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Ash Margarson in the 62nd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Ed Martin prevented the ball from getting in the gole. With his leg Leigh Woolford managed to avoid a goal in the 65thth minute, when Droylsden's Brandon Musgrove fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. A collision led to Droylsden getting a freekick after 66 minutes play. Joshua Harrad hit a great ball. Ed Martin showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Adrian Goodall, who was totally free with the ball in the 69th minute. Ed Martin showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Ash Margarson in the 75th minute of the match. Adrian Goodall received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 78th minute. Ed Martin tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Adrian Goodall sent away a hard shot on goal in the 83rd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. When Benfica's Ash Margarson in the 85th minute got a chance for a shot 85th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Droylsden's goalie prevented a goal. In the 86th match minute, Droylsden was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by John Daly to maneuver through the defense. 87 minutes into the game, one of Droylsden:s players got tackled near the goal, and the referee blew for a penalty. 92 minutes into the match, Adrian Goodall had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Ed Martin. Droylsden's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Adrian Goodall was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 5-0. In the 99th minute the ball was on its way in behind Droylsden's goalkeeper Ed Martin, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. It was no surprise that this one had ended in a win for the home team. Benfica had played much better football throughout.