Match Reports (current season)
27 February 2005 Rowde Youth Won 4-0
Amesbury had a point to prove today but again the weather , mainly the cold wind spoilt what was a good game of football. Amesbury were soon in front after some good wide play and a whipped in cross saw Nathan J at the backe post with a tap in. about ten minutes later an almost indentical move again saw Nathan J at the back post with a tap in. Amesbury pressed hard and got the reward nearing half time as Harry rifled home from about six yards. 3-0 at half time was a little generous considering the blustery conditions.
The second half saw Amesbury almost camped in the rowde half which was not good as when Rowde got the ball they had lots of space in the rest of the pitch. Amesbury furthered their lead after pummeling the Rowde goal through a lone run by Micheal who slotted home the rebound. Amesbury had a lot more shots but the bobbly pitch and wind made life hard for both teams.
Amesbury Man of the Match Micheal
20 February 2005 Castle Combe Colts Lost 0-2
Amesbury looked lack lustre today and did not look interested Castle Combe looked like they wanted the ball throughout the game and were challenging hard all over the park, they went one up half way through the first half with an easy shot as no Amesbury player closed him down. Amesbury raised their game but to no effect shots went wide and their passing was off the mark and they seemed to panic on the ball. Castle combe went further ahead in the second half from a well taken free kick some 20 yards out. Amesbury never looked like scoring in the second half as there were no challenges as the ball was played into the box. This is the first time this season that Amesbury have failed to score, disappointing as they know they can play a lot better. The league has all but gone now and with three games to go Amesbury must at least win all these to keep what little pressure they can on Castle Combe to win their remaining games.
Amesbury Man of the Match Joe
6 February 2005 Melksham Park Drew 2-2
A very sandy soiled pitch awaited us for this game, Melksham in recent games have proved that they have improved a lot over the season and today was no different. Amesbury were straight into attack and had plenty of chances early on, and the break through came form the left wing as MATT D cut into the box and lobed the keeper, Amesbury then seemed to go to sleep and Melksham pressed on and were soon on level terms with a cross goal shot that went in off the post. Melksham now pushed harder and looked like they were the top of the table side as Amesbury struggled to contain thier attacks, they were soon rewarded with another goal just before half time.
Amesbury reshapped and came out in the second half more positive and looked the better side as the ball hardly left the Melksham half for the first ten minutes. Amesbury were rewarded with a goal from DAVID to level the scores but could not find the killer punch which would have opened the flood gates. The Big game against Castle Combe which could be the title decider.
Goals from Matt D & David
Amesbury Man of the Match Sam
30 January 2005 Devizes Town (CUP) Lost 3-3(3-7AET)
With key players missing Amesbury went into this game with a fight on thier hands. Amesbury struggled to settle from the off , but gradually got into the game and were awarded a penalty which Sticz slammed home. devizes came on the attack and pressured Amesbury, Devizes were then awarded a dodgy penalty for hand ball which the referee could not clearly see, this made it 1-1. Amesbury upped the tempo and after some super team work were again in front as Casper stroked it past the keeper, Devizes continued to play the long ball
which was easily cut out by Amesbury defence, then Devizes were awarded thier second dodgy penalty for a foul in the box , but the player clearly got the ball. the same player took the penalty but hit the post and then scored which was disallowed. Devizes through everything forward and equalised with a superb strike from the edge of the box. Amesbury rallied again took the lead from casper as he rounded the keeper to slot home before half time.
The second half was end to end stuff with Devizes having the better chances but not capitalising, then came the biggest controvertial decision of the game, the ball came to the devizes keeper who made a mess of it and lost out to Casper who put the ball in the back of the net, the Referee gave the goal, the Devizes players put the ball on the spot to restart then the referee disallowed the goal for offside, when Casper clearly came from behind the defender after the ball was with the keeper, unfortunately Devizes then almost immediately equalised again, this seem to rattle Amesbury, but they continued to battle and at full time 3-3 was a fair result but the wrong one. Things just fell apart for Amesbury in the first period of extra time and the rest as they say is history.
Goal scorers: Nathan J 2 & Micheal 1
Amesbury Man of the Match - Sam
16 January 2005 Marlborough Town WON 7-1
The sun went in and the wind blew, normal conditions for Boscombe Down, football goes on. Amesbury came out in determined mood and never really looked in trouble, penalty claimsearly on
were denied as advantage was played which saw Nathan J slot the ball in at the near post, Amesbury continued to push and were agian on the score sheet. Amesbury then shut off for what looked like an eternity but Marlborough took advantage and pegged it back to 2-1. This was the kick in the pants Amesbury needed to wake them up and straight from the off Amesbury pushed hard and retsored the two goal cushion. Amesbury slotted home another good goal before half time to lead 4-1 at the interval. Amesbury were a little lack lustre in the second half with the game virtually won the cold blustery conditions were sapping everyones enthusiasm, Marlborough pushed on hard and were unlucky to get another goal but could not control the ball, Amesbury continued to play football and had the pace up front to beat the defence easily scoring three more goals before the end to run out comfortable7-1 winners
Goal scorers: Nathan J 3, Harry 1, Matt D 1 & Micheal 2
Amesbury Man of the Match - Harry
9 January 2005 Trowbridge Wanderers WON 5-1
Amesbury showed some style and class after the long xmas break, playing on a narrow boggy pitch and down the slope first half. Amesbury moved the ball around well and were soon in the lead, it was not long before they were on the score sheet again. the rain was still coming down and the pitch got heavier but Amesbury kept going and kept the ball moving around this soon paid dividends again as the ball was hammered into the back of the net for number three.
Amesbury finished off the half with a flurry and went in four nil up.
Playing up the slope in the second half was a little tougher than it looked as Trowbridge pushed three up front and put Amesbury under some pressure, Amesbury started to exploit the space at the back as trowbridge pushed on and got a superb goal with some wonderful one touch football from about five players before being slotted home. With the game now won Amesbury seemed to switch off and take it easy which cost them a goal. In the end a good result so soon after xmas to keep the pressure on at the top of the table.
Goal scorers: Nathan J 1, Harry 3 & Nathan S 1
Amesbury Man of the Match - Scott
5 December 2004 AFC Corsham WON 6-2
An overcast leafy Lane and a heavy sandy soil pitch was ready for the match today. Amesbury started brightly taking the lead early on but then seemed to lose concentration as Corsham got into the game and equalized mid way through the half Corsham now with their heads up battled harder and Amesbury conceded a soft goal from a free kick. Amesbury rallied after a good save by their keeper and started to play football down the flanks away from the heavy middle and got lots of joy as they started to batter the Corsham goal only the keeper kept them at bay, eventually the breakthrough came and Amesbury went from strength to strength as Corsham struggled to contain the wing play Amesbury scored again and Corsham heads were now dropping.
The second half was good from Amesbury as they best use of the rolling subs in the heavy conditions, soon on the score sheet again and again. Corsham had a couple of chance as Amesbury pushed up the park but it was to no avail as Amesbury scored again to seal a good win in heavy conditions
Goal scorers: Nathan J 3, Harry 3
Amesbury Man of the Match - David
28 November 2004 Rowde Youth (Cup) WON 7-1
Amesbury showed tremendous bouncebackability on a very bogey pitch at Rowde, with overcast weather a heavy down pour would have killed this game off. Amesbury opened the game with some neat play and were soon on the score sheet, but instead of continuing the effort and good play Amesbury went to sleep and allowed Rowde a lot of posession and Amesbury were on the back foot, this led to Rowde winning a dubious penalty which they converted to level the tie. Amesbury then settled and started to use the flanks more and keeping the ball out of the sticky central area, Amesbury soon got back in front and from then on never really looked back as they scored again by half time.
Second half saw Amesbury start with a makeshift defence through an injury to Sam, but once they had gotten used to thier new positions they were rarily troubled, most of the football was played further up the park and Amesbury making good use of the flanks again stretched thier lead further. The goal mouth was now a mud bath and very sticky which meant the ball had to leave the ground to go anywhere quickly but Amesbury wee moving the ball around sweetly and again stretched their lead to seal the victory. Using the rolling subs helped Amesbury to rest some players as the heaving conditions started to take their toll on tired legs. A good alround performance in difficult conditions from the whole team.
Goal scorers: Matt D, Terry, Nathan J, Harry 3, Micheal
Amesbury Man of the Match - David
21 November 2004 Trowbridge Town Lost 2-4
A dull, misty day was made worse by Amesbury's first defeat of the season. Amesbury were soon on the defensive as a very different Trowbridge side pushed forward, trowbridge were first on the score sheet after they broke through down their left and slotted past the keeper. Amesbury then went into a bit of a slump as Trowbridge pushed hard to take a bigger advantage, but the defence held firm. Amesbury gradually got back into the game and started to put the pressure on Trowbridge, Amesbury won a free kick 25 yards out which MICHEAL stepped up to take and slotted it in the top right hand corner giving the keeper no chance. 1-1 at half time. The second half was as entertaining as the first with some good end to end stuff, unfortunately a mix up in the defence allowed Trowbridge to nick a second.Amesbury never looked comfortable with their makeshift defence but were giving as good as they got all over the pitch, Trowbridge won a free kick 30 yards out and as the ball came over Amesbury stood and watched as Trowbridge sprung the offside trap and they had an easy knock in. Amesbury upped the tempo and started to get some good shots in but all going just wide of the post or just over. Then the break through came as Trowbridge got a bit sloppy at the back Matt D nicked the ball and somehow Amesbury managed to get it back to NATHAN S on the penalty spot for a free shot on goal to make it 2-3, Amesbury kept going and should have levelled the match 5 minutes later when Micheal hit the post with the keeper stranded. The game was now wide open as Amesbury tried everything to get level, but with less than 10 minutes to go Trowbridge got a corner and although Amesbury cleared thier lines the returning shot found the top corner.
Goal scorers: Micheal & Nathan S
Amesbury Man of the Match - Chris
7 November 2004 Melksham Park WON 5-1
A dull day with fine drizzell throughout the first half did nothing to liven up this match. Amesbury were soon on the offensive and scored easily early on through HARRY, Amesbury were again on the score sheet 5 minutes later through a lob over the keeper from NATHAN J. Amesbury then went to sleep and head ruled as the midfield charged forward all trying to score. melksham had one or two chances but were kept at bay by the Amesbury keeper, but sloppy defending allowed Melksham Park back into the game with an easy tap at the back post. Amesbury never looked comfortable in the first half after that but Melksham werer not able to capitalise.
The second half saw again that Amesbury really do come alive in the second half and start to play football as they moved the ball around to rip open the Melksham defence, by the end Amesbury were cruising and were content to control the game and keep the ball although Melksham did break a couple of times.
Goal scorers: Harry, Nathan J
3 & an own goal.
Amesbury Man of the Match - Dean
31 October 2004 Castle Combe Colts WON 3-2
This had all the makings of a tough encounter, physically and mentally. Amesbury did not come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders and were penned in their own half for much of the first 20 minutes as Castle Combe Colts pressurized Amesbury defence. Castle Combe Colts scored first and kept up the tempo, only good goalkeeping kept Amesbury in this game. Amesbury could not get hold of the ball and were weak in the tackle and slow to react, they had no urgency to get the ball down and play. For the first time this season they were tasting pressure and aggression at them, they were flustered, Amesbury managed to maintain the 1-0 deficit up to half time.
The second half was a little diferent and a little more firey than the first as Amesbury now fired up and looking more aggressive, interested and alert, Amesbury got back into this game through a goal mouth scramble which HARRY netted. This led to the spirit and tempo of the game being lifted to the next level and to be honest by now the ref was struggling to control things. Amesbury split Castle Combe apart as Nathan S went for goal the keeper deflected it into the path of NATHAN J to slot home from six yards. Castle Combe won a free kick on the half way line and launched it towards goal, Amesbury were slow to react and Castle Combe pounced to level the match at 2-2. The game was now poised for a tense last 15 mins with both teams going close only to see both keepers come up with good saves. Amesbury finally broke the deadlock with about 10 mins to go, the ball shot across the goal everybody missed it except MICHEAL who hammered home from 12 yards. Amesbury moved to a 4-5-1 formation and played a holding game with the ball going anywhere, but should have got another late on. Good performance from a poor start, showed real metal to battle back and take the points.
Goal scorers: Harry, Micheal & Nathan J
Amesbury Man of the Match - Micheal.
17 October 2004 Trowbridge Wanderers WON 9-0
The rain threatened and in the second half tried but never came too anything. Amesbury with a changed squad played football from the start and showed thier superiority. With the same formation but different players Amesbury showed the squad spirit and fought for every ball and were soon in front with two quick goals. An early injury to left back Joe upset the tempo and Amesbury struggled slightly to settle and find the right format for the defence but once they did it was back to normal with good interlinking play all over the park, only some good saves from the Trowbridge keeper (who had been changed after the start) kept them in this game for so long, by half time it was 4-0. The second half was a little different and Trowbridge pushed forward which left them open in defence and Amesbury punished them with another five goals, the clean sheet was the reward for some good work between Nathan in the Amesbury goal and his defence.
Goal scorers: David 2, Micheal, Matt D, Jamie, Chris & Nathan J 3
Amesbury Man of the Match - Chris.
10 October 2004 Marlborough Town WON 9-2
This game was slightly spoilt by the changeable wind. Amesbury came out in the first half looking lack lustre and although were creating good chances did not settle well playing against the wind, Amesbury managed to score first and were playing some good football but still looked sluggish. Amesbury scored twice and went into the break with a comfortable hold on the game. At the start of the second half Marlborough came at Amesbury and managed to pull a goal back by lobbing the keeper and a helping hand from the wind to hold the ball up. Amesbury replied immediately with a strong solo effort from Micheal. This seemed to settle Amesbury and they started there now normal routine of becoming a second half team, the football started to flow and so did the goals, Amesbury got a penalty which was converted by Dean. Marlborough scored a second but by now the game was won and Amesbury were in cruise mode, another good performance from all concerned
Goal scorers: Harry 2, Micheal 3, Dean, David, Chris & Nathan J
Amesbury Man of the Match - Dean.
26 September 2004 Warminster Highbury WON 12-2
Amesbury again proved that they have a squad with good team spirit. A slow start for Amesbury nearly proved costly as Warminster Highbury got behind the defence and with Joe in goal, for the injured Nathan, an early goal for the oppsition would have knocked his confidence, but Joe stood big and put off the attacker who shot wide of the far post. As the game progressed Amesbury got more and more into the game but were still not firing on all cylinders. The goals started to come and Amesbury found themselves with a comfortable lead at half time. We are starting to look like a second half team because we were absolutely stunning with goals coming from all over, we conceeded two goals from a lack of concentration and expecting the offside decision. Amesbury's pace up front was too much for the Warminster defence and although thier keeper made some good saves there was just too much for him to do. Amesbury were in showboat mood and it was good to watch as the moves and passes showed what they can really do when in the mood.
With the good performance from all players again the manager will have sleepless nights when he has a fully fit squad.
Goal scorers: Natahn J 4, David 3, Micheal 2, Harry 1, Scott 1 and an own goal.
Amesbury Man of the Match - Nathan J.
19 September 2004 Trowbridge Town 2nds WON 2-1
Amesbury proved today that they have a squad with good team spirit.
Newly formed Trowbridge Town 2nds, made up of ex Warminster Hornets players and Trowbridge Town players gave no quarter and came at Amesbury with lots of gusto in what would prove a full of incident half. 20 mins in Trowbridge were awarded a penalty for handball, this was saved brilliantly by Nathan F. Amesbury then stepped up a gear and started to flow, winning a free kick on the left hand edge of Trowbridges penalty box ,it was taken quickly only for the ref to say take it again 'cause he hadn't blown the whistle, this time NATHAN J hit it hard and low and everyone watched it roll into the far corner.
Trowbridge came on strong again and were pushing hard , Amesbury though looked comfortable when an inocious shot bobbled across the goal mouth and sneaked in at the far post. Amesbury started to exploit the pace up front which clearly worried the Trowbridge defence. A superb through ball to Nathan J and he was off only to have his legs taken from under him inside the box, Penalty Amesbury, but in a twist of fate nathan J hit the post and saw the ball come back out.
Half time 1-1
The second half was a real tusle with both teams looking for the winner and every challenge was hard and mostly fair, both teams had chances, but both keepers were doing well to keep thier team in the match. Amesbury had to make a substitution for the injured Terry. The midfield were solid and the defence ensured no one got past.
Matt D made a super run down the left and put in lovely cross which was partially cleared to the edge of the were JAMIE stroked it back into the net to the dismay of the Trowbridge keeper and defence.
This was a super game of football with Amesbury captain Micheal leading the way, another super team effort from the Amesbury boys, more of the same next week please
Amesbury Man of the Match - Nathan F.
12 September 2004 AFC Corsham WON 8-0
Our first game of the new season would prove intersting after being unable to get any freindlies and with the introduction of rolling subs.
The wind would prove to be a factor in todays game, both teams started brightly and coped well with the blustery conditions. Amesbury took the lead early on whern HARRY pounced on a through ball which Corsham did not deal with.
Amesbury were kept at bay by some good saves from the Corsham keeper. Corsham had a couple of chances , but good work between the defenders and the keeper kept Amesbury in front until half time.
The second half was a very diferent game Amesbury came out firing on all cylinders and took the game to Corsham, movign the ball around the pitch very well and made Corsham pay the price heavily with seven goals throughout the half. Corsham did have thier chances but Amesbury managed to deal with them even if last ditched tackles had to be made. Goal scorers for Amesbury in the second half were - David 1, Harry 1, Micheal 1, Nathan J 2and Matt D 2.
All players were excellent today with good showings from new boys Scott and Jamie.
Amesbury Man of the Match - Sam
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Material copyright © 2001 Steve Strong