Weston-super-Mare AFC suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Braintree Town FC this weekend in a game that felt flat compared to their two previous goal fests.
Despite playing some good football against the Essex based team, The Seagulls could not find the net during the game and suffered the one goal defeat after Braintree’s Tom Blackwell fired a shot into the top left corner in the 70th minute.
The goal came after Weston failed to deal with a cross field ball from Braintree, something they’d dealt with relatively well for the rest of the game and allowed Blackwell to cut inside and unleash a vicious shot into the near post.
Scott Bartlett’s men looked leggy in the first half and spent much of the time defending, but they were organised enough in defence and midfield to prevent Braintree from finding any space in the box, resulting in a half that produced very few chances.
A man of the match performance from Lloyd Humphries was a big part of Weston’s defensive stand, he was dominant in the air and composed with the ball at his feet to help steady his team when they were in possession.
Weston were better going forwards during the second half, their build up play was quicker, the tempo was higher and they were finding themselves in the opposition third more.
A flurry of shots in the first five minutes of the second period, and a few efforts int the remainder of the 90 from striker Reuben Reid half tested the Braintree keeper but The Seagulls were unable to find an answer after Blackwell put The Iron 1-0 up in the 70th.
Jordan Bastin put in a notable performance at left back for The Seagulls too, disrupting play whenever Braintree attacked down his left flank, and keeper Max Harris made a wonderful one on one save to prevent his team from going a goal down earlier in the game.
But it proved to be a frustrating evening for the Weston squad who were coming off the back of seven goals in two games, including their 4-0 local derby win over Taunton Town, as the game ended before they could find a way to unpick Braintree's defensive lock.
Weston Manager Scott Bartlett reacted to the game: “I feel a bit flat now, I felt a bit flat during the game.
“We had some tired bodies out there and Braintree are good at what they do, but it certainly wasn’t a spectacle coming off the back of two great games against Taunton and Torquay.
“I don’t think we played particularly well with the ball, we were okay without the ball but then you leave too much to chance when you don’t create enough going forwards.
“It was one individual error that leads to a goal, and at this level you can lose by 1-0 because teams can defend that lead.
“There’s no soul searching or head scratching after that, we lacked a little bit of spark, a little bit of freshness maybe, an individual error cost us today but that happens it’s not the end of the world, and we look forward to Tuesday.”
Weston will next be in action at the Optima Stadium on April 9th, taking on Chippenham Town.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here