Saturday 8th February 2025
Venue: Barlow's Park, Tadley
Attendance: 43
The Brickmakers' seven-match winning run in the Wessex League Division One ended on neutral ground as Whitchurch United fought valiantly for a point in Tadley.
First-team coach Neil Langridge spoke after the game in Matt Maybury's absence.
"We know every game has its own challenges, and as we expect in this division, no team will roll over. They started fast, but before halftime, we gained momentum, and we would have wanted that to continue. They then pushed hard with a high press, but although our quality showed, we failed to make the most of high-quality possessions.
I have high respect for Whitchurch for a hard-fought point.
We know we can offer more, and that starts again this week."
Both goals came inside the opening twenty minutes at Barlow's Park with the 'home' side taking the lead. New Milton failed to clear a long ball over the top, with the second ball coming back in quickly and falling to Alex Fragata who sidefooted the ball past Luke Dennison from close range at the back post.
As in previous games, New Milton had to once again fight back from being a goal down after now conceding first in their last four games.
It didn't take long for them to level the score.
Less than ten minutes later, Elliott Pearce-Eavis cooly slotted the ball into the back of the net after Whitchurch United failed to clear a corner kick from the left-hand side.
Callum McHale suffered a shoulder injury midway through the half after being brought down when he would have had a free run at goal. Not long after, he was replaced by Ben Beard. Callum had been the standout player before coming off despite being deployed as a left-back for the afternoon.
Most of New Milton's chances in the first were half chances as Barney Stone forced a good save from the debutant Whitchurch United goalkeeper from a tight angle while Brad Snelling headed over from a corner kick, and Dan Bartlett fired over from long range.
New Milton created more in the second half but were frustrated by Whitchurch's resistance throughout. Late on, Billy Maybury had a free header that bounced a whisker wide of the post, while Brad Snelling's leap at the back post led to his header striking the angle of the crossbar and post.
On reflection, a draw was a fair result, but the players' disappointment and frustration were clear to see. The draw extends their club record unbeaten league run to 21 games.
Next Saturday, the Brickmakers will travel to the Isle of Wight to face East Cowes Victoria in a huge, top-of-the-table clash.
New Milton Town: Luke Dennison, Elliott Pearce-Eavis, Cam Smith, Billy Maybury, Callum McHale, Jack Broad, Toby Colmer, Barney Stone, Dan Bartlett, Harry McGrath, Brad Snelling
Substitutes Used: Ben Beard, Noel McCarthy-Gardiner
Goals: Pearce-Eavis 16
댓글