Local youth football round-up

FOLLOWING a tense and physical draw the previous week, Burnbridge were on a roll from the start, with Amy having two near misses in quick succession. A corner by Nicole enabled Devon to open the scorung. With Farren, Shannon, Nicole and Devon working really well together, Farran passed to Amy, who made it 2-0. Then another Nicole corner was shot home by Devon before half time.

Leanne and Naomi were making some great clearances and Leanne wove through Butleigh, only to have her shot saved. When she ran through again, she crossed it straight into the net. Danielle and Rachel both did their jobs in defence and Butleigh Wessex never made it easy, but Burnbridge's team play was too good.

Abbi made some excellent saves to keep a clean sheet and, at the other end, Farren was unlucky with several shots, including hitting the woodwork. With five minutes left, in a goalmouth scramble, the ball rebounded off the Butleigh keeper for an own goal.

It was good to see most of the players back from illness fighting fit. This was the best they have played as a team for a while. Player of the match was Amy, runner-up Leanne.

Berrow Boys U-10 A 1, Clevedon Town A 1

LOOKING to beat their bogey team after a string of indifferent results, Berrow A produced superb movement through the team. Sweeper James Mitchell continued his run of good form and Mitch Peckham won every challenge in midfield.

Luke Tidball played an educated match, balancing forward play and defensive duties on the left and bagging Berrow's goal to pull the match square after they had conceded a weak goal early on.

With the scores level, man of the match Simon Peto covered every blade of grass, making the breaks for Berrow, with Josh Horler holding the ball up well and making good opportunist forward runs. Mark Clitsome and Andrew Kidner were moved round the pitch as Berrow rested players.

Berrow saw a lot more of the ball in the second half, troubling Clevedon's defence. Keeper Brandon O'Reilly has made a massive improvement and was unlucky not to have kept a clean sheet. Overall, a great performance.

Berrow Boys U-10 B 3, Clevedon Town B 3

BERROW B pushed from the off and Josh Watkins, showing great skill up front, opened the scoring early on. With skipper Lucy Stacey away on county duty and Joe Clarke playing through the pain barrier, Berrow's defence held up well, Sam Harkness stepping up to take on the visiting forwards.

New signing Sam Day settled into the midfield well, earning man of the match on his debut. Clevedon got some lucky breaks and pulled the match back square. They they conceded another Watkins strike, but hit back to make it 2-2.

Charlie Evans pushed down the right for Berrow, getting his name on the scoresheet and positioning himself well. Despite the fact that a lot of the team had been off school ill through the week, they played excellent football, but couldn't stop Clevedon equalising again.

Jack Lock and Dan Thorowgood were subbed on and off, contributing well to the team performance. Unusually for keeper Steven Daymond, he couldn't relax into the game and looked unsettled throughout (chin up, Steve!).

Berrow Boys U-13 3, Worle Juniors 2

Berrow consolidated their position in the league by beating their closest rivals in this lively encounter. Keen to avenge a defeat by Worle, Berrow needed little motivation but found it difficult to break down a well-organised defence and Worle nicked a goal in their first attack.

Something inspirational was needed by Berrow. It came in a five-minute spell at the start of the second half. Brad Hunt played an inch-perfect ball to winger Josh Gibbons, who sped past the defence and hammered a brilliant equaliser.

Almost from the restart, Gibbons was down the wing again, crossing to Jake Hollingsworth, who finished coolly to keep up his amazing run of scoring in every match he has played. Then Gibbons robbed two defenders and slotted home to give Berrow a two-goal cushion.

Worle still had plenty of time to respond and got a second through a penalty. Despite, this Berrow still pushed forward and Hunt put a header just over the bar. Berrow had to dig deep to take the three points.

It was a tremendous effort from the whole team, including an outstanding performance from the inspirational Westcroft Man of the Match Josh Gibbons.

Gordano Valley Giants U-9 A 0, Berrow Boys A 7

ALTHOUGH Berrow had a couple of players recovering from illnes. they put immediate pressure on the packed Gordano defence, with Charlie White having a shot saved. The midfield of Charlie Harding, Bill Lupton and Ashley Harper began to pass the ball confidently and this resulted in the opening goal,, scored by Charlie H following inter-play with Ash.

Bill was unlucky to see his powerful shot go just over, then the pressure finally told when Ash netted the first of his four goals, taking the ball past two defenders before slotting it in. When a great counter-attack by Gordano caught Berrow on the hop, keeper Josh Field made a fantastic save.

In a second half of constant attacking football by Berrow, Ash completed his hat-trick and added a fourth, while Charlie W scored as reward for his consistent workrate. Oliver Morris ventured into midfield from his usual defensive position and was unlucky not to score, while Darren Partridge's appearance from his sickbed was rewarded with a stunning goal, following a pull-back from winger Ash.

Although Berrow dominated, the defence had to keep their wits about them and support the midfield as Gordano launched occasional counter-attacks. Grant Smith played brilliantly, as he blocked any penetrating runs and selected sensible, high-quality passes to keep the pressure on. Josh ensured that his awareness and agility kept his clean sheet.

Gordano Valley Giants U-9 B 0, Berrow Boys B 5

BERROW B took up where the A team had left off and, despite having only the bare seven players, Berrow fielded a very attacking formation. Nathan James opened the scoring with a great shot from wide on the left and Berrow applied constant pressure, with the midfield of Nathan, Ben Ayers and Curtis Bradshaw moving forward to release the ball to Daniel Berry and Ellis Preedy.

Ben put in some lovely crosses from the left and some great inter-play between Curtis and Dan resulted in Dan netting the second. Ellis showed determination and Curtis covered the entire pitch to ensure that he supported Jake Harding, again magnificent in defence.

The game continued in the same manner after the break, with a lovely ball from Dan's corner being knocked back by Ben towards Nathan, who netted his second. Curtis then added two goals to the tally, his second a fantastic shot following a run past the defence.

Berrow gave a great display of confident, passing football. They showed maturity and understanding when asked to adapt their game to accommodate the players available. Gordano did not give up, but keeper Henry Hall was his usual alert self and ensured that he kept his clean sheet.

Portishead Utd U-12 2, Burnbridge Wanderers 1

WITH Burnbridge having recovered from the virus which had swept through the camp the previous week, this was a much better performance, although they failed to take the points. They started brightly, passing the ball round and moving forward well.Tom Brown and Ryan Kew tested the keeper, but their shots were well saved.

Burnbridge had an excellent oppportunity to take the lead when Guy Gough was brought down in the box but they failed to convert the penalty. However, after good work from Will Jones and man of the match Tom Holder, Gough left his marker standing to blast home the opening goal.

Oliver Woolacott and Charlie Cooksley worked very hard, closing down well and making some great tackles. Both looked as if they had been in a real battle, Oliver with a split lip and Charlie "seeing stars" after having taken the full force of the ball.

The defence, including Chris Davies, Jack Cashman and Dan O'Conner, were much improved and Stewart Kilmartin again made many good saves in goal. Burnbridge maintained the but a couple of errors meant that they conceded two goals. Praise should also be given to substitutes James Benoy and Javed Ahmed.

Burnham Utd U-11 1, Clevedon United Colts 2

WITH the bright sun in their eyes, Burnham got off to a slow start and Clevedon soon forced keeper Daniel Giblett to make a save. Shortly afterwards, they opened the scoring. This seemed to rouse Burnham and Matt Dibble couldn't quite beat the keeper.

Although Alex Plume and Nathan Giblett combined well to work the ball to Ben Alderton and Kieran Redwood, the Clevedon defence thwarted their efforts continually. Several stops for Clevedon injuries broke the momentum and they ended the first half 2-0 up.

Burnham restarted with renewed energy and an early corner saw most of them take a shot but the ball just wouldn't go in. Plume worked hard to keep possession and get the ball to Dibble, whose chip slipped just over the bar.

It wasn't long before Alderton went all the way to make it 2-1. This seemed to inspire Burnham, but, when they looked on the way to scoring, play often stopped for a Clevedon injury and it was frustration after frustration for the home side. Abingdon St Barber's Man of the Match was Alex Plume.

Burnham Utd U-12 5, Gordano Valley Giants 1

Burnham started with confidence and soon captain Jamie Hughes rolled the ball past the keeper. Then Matt Alderton ended a solo run with a superb finish to give his side a two-goal lead. When Gordano retaliated, defenders Ryan May and Liam Brewer showed great strength persistently to win the ball and clear.

Jake Dade sent a great ball down the line to strikers Harry Gough and Matt Dibble, who failed to find their target. Then a great run by Arthur Dixon-Bell produced a perfectly-placed ball for Matt Alderton, who scored his second. He nearly produced his hat-trick from a free kick which was plucked from the air by the keeper. Sub Ryan Arnold was called upon immediately as Giants stepped up their attack, but Burnham kept a clean sheet in the first half.

In the second half, Burnham piled on the pressure immediately. Hughes recieved an accurate pass from Matt A and, after a great run, buried the ball in the bottom corner. Soon afterwards, a brilliant lob secured his hat-trick and put Burnham five goals clear.

Giants piled the pressure on Alex Harding in defence and keeper Bradley House, breaking through finally to score. Ben Wright continued to work hard, defending until the end. Man of the match was Matt Alderton.

Burnham Utd U-16 1, Hutton Juniors 3

IT WAS Burnham's turn to try to end Hutton's two-year unbeaten league run and the result was an enthralling match. The first half was evenly matched, as McErlain, Philips, Harris, Garrett and Harper presented a formidable wall in front of the impressive Spelman.

Burnham had the better chances, as Ireland's goal-bound shot hit a defender's arm then Bagg took a split second too long to shoot inside the six-yard box. At the other end, McErlain was powerful in the air and the one time that Hutton did break through, Spelman pulled off a brave save at the feet of the striker.

After a goalless first half, Burnham, with the wind at their backs, started to assert themselves. Martin raced clear but was thwarted by a great save, while Redstone failed to connect properly with a McErlain cross. Burnham fell for the sucker punch when Hutton hit them on the break to score. Burnham refused to concede ground and kept pushing for an equaliser, but conceded another two counter-attack goals in quick succession.

They pulled one back when a quickly-taken McErlain free kick sent Marsh clear and he showed great composure to lob the keeper. With Worthington and Marshfield starting to control midfield, a second goal looked likely but Burnham just couldn't quite finish the job and gain reward for their great approach play.

At the final whistle, the compliments from Hutton were aplenty as the visitors left relieved with the win. Managers MoM Ross McKerlain; Players' MoM Dan Spelman.

Burnham Utd U-13 2, Nailsea Athletic U-14 0

THIS was a really exciting and entertaining friendly match, both teams having played superb football. Burnham's Ben, Paul, Steve and Macca at the back left keeper Jon with little to do in the first half. Wazza and Joe played along the wings, Dan and Radz in the middle.

In the first half ,Burnham made quite a few attempts at goal, but Nailsea's keeper was strong and quick. Hirons played up front with Rob and Jesse, who also played in the left-back spot. Nailsea had a goal disallowed for offside.

In the second half, Nailsea changed their keeper and a few other players, while Burnham continued to use their passing skills. Eventually, a shot was mishandled by the Nailsea keeper and Jesse scored. Then a shot by Joe hit the post and Jesse netted the second from the scramble.

The match featured excellent sportsmanship from both the teams. Man of the match was awarded to Jon, for his good challenges and also for being two years younger. Joint runners-up were Rob and Jesse.

Burnham Utd U-9 A 1, Isle of Wedmore A 0

ALTHOUGH Burnham A had their first league win of the year, they should have won by more and had to hang on in the end as Wedmore pushed forward for the equaliser. Burnham deserved the three points, having dominated from the start, but being unable to convert their chances nearly cost them.

They played well in the first half, with James Schollick and Ben Cherry looking dangerous going forward. Kyle Durrant and Jordon Podbury played very well at the back, leaving keeper David Dickson-Bell with little to do. Burnham had plenty of chances and scored from the hardest of the lot, as Charlie Hughes beat two players in the box and scored just before the interval.

In the second half, Burnham played their best football for some weeks, as they passed the ball well and looked comfortable. They were searching for the second goal to seal the victory, but, when it didn't come, Wedmore thought they would have a go. Although they created a few chances, Burnham stayed strong.

Burnham Utd U-9 B 3, Isle of Wedmore 0

Burnham B team really started to show their form in this game and the scoreline didn't reflect how comfortable they were. They started really well, with Jack Marsh and Ben Gates going close, but the away keeper was in good form, one save standing out, as he tipped the ball past for a corner. However, from the corner, Fraser McDiarmid volleyed home after an excellent kick by Ben Gates.

Defenders Harry Marks and Ryan Beard had a quiet time, but dealt with any threat well. In the second half, Burnham had chance after chance, but couldn't find a way to double their lead.

Then, in the last five minutes, substitute Callum Smith beat the keeper at the near post to make it 2-0. Seconds later, Fraser McDiarmid scored his second, followed by another crowd-pleasing goal celebration. The whole team played well as Burnham climbed the table, but man of the match went to Jack Marsh, who terrorised the Wedmore defence.