Timsbury Athletic 1 Yatton and Cleeve Utd 1
Stand-in keeper Jesse Bishop became a late hero for Timsbury Athletic who progressed to the semi-finals of the Somerset Senior Cup after beating Yatton and Cleeve United 5-3 on penalties after the match had ended in a 1-1 draw. Bishop saved the unfortunate Bobby Archard’s first spot–kick for the visitors and with Timsbury slotting home five confident penalties it proved the key moment.
There was little to choose between the two sides and the first half was a disjointed affair. Bishop was in early action saving well from Gareth Gallop while at the other end Timsbury were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position only for Jack Nix’s effort to be blocked by the visitors’ wall. Tommy Wellings did get the ball into the Timsbury net but was ruled offside and two chances were spurned at the other end by Rico Sobers who miskicked and Rhys Cook who shot wide. Wellings broke clear for the visitors but shot wide from the narrowest of angles.
In a re-run of the opening of the first half Bishop again came to Timsbury’s rescue making a timely save from Alex Bird but Timsbury were beginning to get their game together and took the lead after 55 minutes. A fine effort from Sam Gregory was deflected wide for a corner and from the resulting kick Luke Seviour’s cross was headed firmly home by Matt Brooks. The lead lasted just 8 minutes.
Yatton and Cleeve were awarded a penalty and Elliott Shipway made no mistake from the spot-kick. Cook then raced clear for Timsbury but saw his shot saved well by Tom Murphy. Gallop wasted a good chance for the visitors heading wide from Tom Starr’s accurate cross and Bird ballooned another effort well over the top.
Timsbury’s new signing Thomas Hobbs added plenty of energy to the home effort and in one threatening run saw a Yatton defender strike his own woodwork. Brooks again came close to putting Timsbury in front but this time his header from Seviour’s cross was blocked on the line. In a last burst Cook’s crisp shot was touched over the bar by Murphy and with time almost up another fierce shot was blocked on the line.
Then came the drama of the penalty shoot-out and Sobers, Toby Neilson, Cook, Gregory and Seviour all kept their nerve to put Timsbury into the last four with Bird, Shipway and Josh Gibbs on target for the visitors.
Malcolm Tucker