Mitres on the Road: Marvellous Mitres earn bash and grab win at Bashley

Bish. Bash. Bosh. There was excitement, there was stress, there was drama, there was…a Portuguese flag?

Bishops Cleeve’s trip to Hampshire to face Bashley is not one intended for a Tuesday night nor was it a fixture originally scheduled for midweek. The increment and foul weather claimed many games across the country over the festive period with the Mitres's original journey halted before it could even begin by the cruel and thoughtless frost that rendered the Veho Community Stadium pitch frozen and unplayable. Thus meaning that a Tuesday it would have to be. 

We set off at half past three with a rather productive table all typing away doing various work of various levels of importance. The night came early and darkness drew in not long into our crusade, a sense of worry over the prospect of a wasted journey quickly overcome by a longing for bed. 

Bashley at night, Mitres' delight.

The comforts of the coach only added to the mistimed fatigue with the prospect of ninety minutes beyond my mind. Proceedings didn't start well once we arrived at the game with Johnny’s name absent from the list and an unwilling tenner begrudgingly forked over and access finally granted.

Aspects of the ground were a maze. The boardroom lay hidden behind the main stand with access through the player's tunnel, taking you past the already intense changing rooms and in through the final door on the left. Pie, veg, and roast potatoes followed by mince pie and ice cream went some way to warm the spirits with a perusal of an obscure but interestingly sized A4 matchday programme helping to alleviate any stress that a long journey can bring upon oneself. 

We settled ten yards beyond the Cleeve dugout, our flag tied up on the pitch side fence with what should have been a Gloucestershire flag waving in the breeze as a show of our support, instead a Portugal flag was strewn. Rumour has it someone picked up the first green flag they saw thinking it was Gloucestershire, alas it was Portugal. That certain someone…was me. 

It was an end to end encounter, both sides trading counter attacks but meeting stubborn defences between them and the goal. Cleeve had a shot cleared off the line nine minutes in, Bashley missed one on one after 13. 

After 17 minutes the referee heard something he didn't like, halting the game and walking over to Colly to tell him off. Problem was, the shout came from the stands, Colly had nothing to do with it and the ref ended up looking a bit silly. 

Cleeve began to take control around the half-hour mark with Aaron Evans-Harriott embarking on one of many marauding runs, dancing around the Bashley defence but dispossessed before working a shot on goal. In perhaps the game’s highlight, Mitres centre-back Josh Nelmes cut out a promising lofted through ball from Bashley with a bicycle kick to quash the danger and get it clear. 

The deciding moment came in the 35th minute, Evans-Harriott charging into the Bashley box and being brought down rather unceremoniously. Penalty to Bishops Cleeve. Up steps Ross Langworthy who absolutely rockets the ball past the keeper and in. 1-0. 

The Mitres held on until the break with some luck on their side, a poor pass played Kyran Samadi through with the goal at his mercy but a bobble as he struck the ball sent his strike over the goal and out the ground leaving the scoreline unchanged at the referee's whistle. 

The second half was another close affair with the home pushing for an equaliser but a formidable backline was equal to it all. Cleeve's best chance to double the lead came with 64 minutes on the clock as Langworthy intercepted a pass ten yards from the Bashley penalty area, descending on goal quickly with only an outstanding save denying him his brace. 

Four minutes later, Bashley had perhaps their best chance to pull level, another one-on-one but a poor effort dragged wide left them begging once more. The nerves were beginning to set in as they pushed and pushed and pushed, man of the match Matt Liddiard accompanied by a man who could have won the accolade any other day in Josh Nelmes with Will Turner and Matt Bower either side and Lewis Clayton in behind all at their very best. It was an outstanding team performance but one that could have come undone in injury time. 

With just sixty seconds of the five added minutes left to play, Bashley won a freekick down the right wing and crowded the box. It was whipped into the corridor of uncertainty where Clayton rose highest to claim the cross, diving down on the ball and sealing the three points. Bish. Bash. Bosh.