Reports
Street 1 Barnstaple Town 0 (08/03/08)
Street finally got back to winning ways after a run of 18 games stretching back to November 6th & also pulled themselves out of the bottom two with an important 1-0 win at home to Barnstaple Town.With a strong wind behind them Street looked purposeful from the start & after 5 minutes Kye Palmer got in behind the visitors defence and cross to Walby whose shot on the turn was blocked 6 yards out. On 15 minutes Simon Gale played a neat 1-2 with Palmer before sending over a cross that was just too deep as Walby came in at the back post. Barnstaple had their 1st chance in the 20th minutes when Darren Goff saw his shot from 12 yards well saved by Brendon Dix diving low to his right. Street took the lead in the 25th minute when Mark Radcliffe raced into the box before being brought down. Simon Gale stepped up & hit a firm shot to the right of the keeper that was brilliantly saved but only directed into the path of Ollie Walby who tucked it in the far corner to record his 1st goal for the club. Both sides created half chances after the break but Street had the best when Simon Gale got free down the left & crossed to Palmer who miss kicked the ball 6 yards out but in the end the three points were won and could prove vital.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. Malone 3. Radcliffe S 4.Milner D 5. Tom Clifford-Jones. 6. Amghar 7. Radcliffe M (Mira 75). 8.Palmer (Bizgrove 81) 9.Gale 10Lambert 11. Walby Sub Not used Pople D
Street 1 Dawlish Town 4 (04/03/08)
With a new strike partnership of Graham Mercieca & Ollie Walby Street entertained high flying Dawlish Town at the Tannery full of optimism, but were undone by Jamie Mudge who scored a hat trick, two goals of which would have graced any premiership ground. Dawlish started the game well & with just 9 minutes on the clock the ball fell to Mudge out on the left corner of the Street 18 yard box & he made himself a yard before curling a peach of a shot around Dix & into the far top corner of the net. Street fought back & 5 minutes later were on level terms when a Simon Radcliffe free kick 25 yards out was cleared only as far a Kye Palmer & his 1st time effort was deflected into the path of Lewis Lambert who slotted the ball home from 8 yards out. This goal unsettled the visitors who suddenly lost their fluency, Street failed to capitalize though & paid the price in the 31st minute when Anthony Lynch got the wrong side of Ben Amghar and finished well from 12 yards, before Street had time to recover Mudge picked up the ball on the left and cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable effort from 25 yards to give the visitors breathing space. After the break Street had an early chance to reduce the deficit but Lambert miss hit his close range shot then Walby had a effort from the edge of the box well saved before Mudge controversially completed his hat trick. With Amghar going away from goal he appeared to be pushed from behind by Mudge who took the ball turned and hit a crisp shot that Dix could only parry into the net. On reflection this was a good display from a young Street side against a very efficient Dawlish Town side who looked head and shoulders above any other team that has visited the Tannery this term.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. Thomas 3. Radcliffe S 4.Milner D 5. Tom Clifford-Jones. 6. Amghar 7. Palmer (Gale 69). 8. Dovey 9.Mercieca (Bizgrove 77) 10Lambert 11. Walby Sub Not used Mira
Melksham Town 1 Street 1 (23/02/08)
Street went into this game with renewed optimism & full of confidence after their recent performances against high flying Welton Rovers & Corsham Town with manager Dave Pople & skipper Dan Milner both returning to the squad. Also included & making his debut was striker Mark Radcliffe signed on the morning of the game. After a tentative start to the game in which both sides probed for openings Street got into their stride and were unlucky not to have taken the lead when Mark Radcliffe chased a long ball forward with a Melksham defender, who stumbled over allowing Radcliffe to plant the ball in the net. The Assistant Referee who was in line with play saw nothing wrong with the effort. the Referee however, who was at least 40 yards away from the incident, judged that Radcliffe had fouled the defender and ruled out the goal. There was little if any other goalmouth action in the 1st half and the sides went in all square at the break. The game opened up after the interval & Street should have gone ahead in the 47th minute when Luke Dovey was put through by Kye Palmer after a great fun across the box by the industrious Lewis Lambert, unfortunately though he drove his shot from the angle of the 6 yard box wide of the goal.. " minutes later Street had another opportunity as the home defence went walkabout & Matt Blackmore made a surging run down the left before crossing the ball to Mrk Radcliffe unmarked 12 yards out but his first touch let him down and the ball ran to the keeper . Melksham then had 2 good chances of their own when 1st Nat Auckland surged down the right unchallenged before cutting inside and unleashing a powerful drive that was tipped over by Brendan Dix & 2 minutes later Shaun Benison latched onto a through ball a sent in a sweet drive that skimmed the top of the crossbar. The deadlock was eventually broken in the 64th minute when Street scored their 1st goal in almost 10 hours of football. Craig Thomas was fouled 35 yards out on the right & recovered quickly to play the ball down the line to Mark Radcliffe, he in turn got in behind the Melksham defence and squared the ball to Matt Blackmore who side footed it into the bottom corner from 6 yards out.. Street should have doubled their lead 5 minutes later as with the home side pushing forward more & more Street countered & found them selves in a 3 on one situation. The ball was played across the edge of the box to Kye Palmer who hesitared and set himself twice before snatching at the chance and sending a weak shot straight at the keeper. With 5 minutes remaining and Street sitting deep to defend their lead, Meksham grabbed an equaliser when the ball was floated forward from 40 yards out & headed into the path of Benison who buried his shot in the far corner. Street still had time to put the ball in the net again but it was again controversially ruled out. A cross from Simon Radcliffe was won cleanly in the air by Lewis Lambert under pressure from the home keeper and Kye Palmer volleyed home from 10 yards only to hear the Referee's whistle for a foul. Understandable if the player impedes or leans into the keeper but on this occasion the Referee got it wrong again as Lambert won the header cleanly & it was the keeper that impeded him if anything.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. Thomas 3. Radcliffe S 4.Pople D 5. Tom Clifford-Jones. 6. Amghar 7. Palmer. 8. Lambert 9.Radcliffe M 10.Blackmore 11. Dovey Subs Not used Bisgrove, Milner D, Mira
Corsham Town 1 Street 0(19/02/08)
Street travelled to play reigning League champions Corsham Town without Manager Dave Pople (away on business) or skipper Dan Milner (injured) and must have feared the worst after suffering a comprehensive 3-1 defeat against the same side at the Tannery only 3 weeks earlier. How wrong could they be, as Street far from being intimidated by their illustrious opponents took the game to them from the off & dominated possession & chances over the 90 minutes. With an extremely youthful look about the side, The cobblers started the game with a more attacking line-up and can count themselves unlucky not to have scored in the first half as Simon Gale, who led the line magnificently sent in 3 rasping shots that had the home keeper beaten all ends up, but whistled past the uprights, and Martin Pople , Kye Palmer & James Bisgrove caused pnic in the home defence with their blistering pace..In a rare attack though Corsham scored the decisive winning goal when Simon Croft headed home from a yard out mid way through the half . The 2nd period followed the same pattern as Corsham were husstled off the ball on numerous occasions by Lambert & Dovey in the Street midfeild but once again failed to make their domination count as Palmer, Pople & substitute Ian Bellinger (making his debut) all went close Such was Street's domination the 5 Corsham players received cautions as the become increasingly frustrated & struggled to cope with pace of Palmer, Bisgrove & Pople.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. Thomas 3. Radcliffe 4.Amghar 5. Tom Clifford-Jones. 6. Dovey 7. Palmer. 8. Lambert 9.Gale (Bellinger 80) 10.Bisgrove 11. Pople M
Street 0 Welton Rovers 1(16/02/08)
In this Somerset Derby played at the Tannery Welton Rovers went home with the points courtesy of a Dave Pearse strike right on the stroke of half time, but the game was not as one sided as would have been expected based on League positions as Street gave a good account of themselves once again but the failure to find the back of the net when on top is proving to be their undoing. Welton have only conceded 17 goals this term & were solid at the back reducing Street to very few chances, by the same token the Cobblers back line never looked under any real threat as both teams cancelled each other out. The turning point came in the 45th minute though when 2 Street players went for the same ball and it dropped to Giovanni Necco who in turn laid it inside to Pearse & he thumped it into the net from just inside the box. Street's best chance of the game came on the hour mark when Lewis Lambert met Kye Palmers cross but saw his header brilliantly stopped low at the near post byWestlake in the Welton goal.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. Amghar 3. Radcliffe 4. Milner D 5. Tom Clifford-Jones. 6. Pople D 7. Palmer. 8. Lambert 9.Gale 10. Thomas 11. Dovey. 12. Bisgrove . 14 Blackmore.15 Pople M
Street 0 Odd Down 1 (12/02/08)
After 2 lacklustre performances in their last 2 home games Street gave a much better account of themselves in this relegation battle with Odd Down but still ended the game pointless and goalless Knowing the importance of this game the cobblers went on the attack from the off and should have taken the lead in the 5th minute when a superb run down the right from Kye Palmer took him in behind the Odd Down defence & he rolled the ball invitingly across the penalty area to Luke.Dovey who drove the ball agonisingly wide of the goal. Palmer was a constant threat throughout the game and should have seen a lot more of the ball as time & again he got in behind the visitors defence. For all their endeavour though Street failed to breech Odd Down's back line which was well marshalled by Sherwood & the sides went in at the break all square. After a tentative start to the 2nd period the visitors took the lead in the 53rd minute. when Street gave away possession midway in their own half t & the ball was immediately played across the park to the right flank where it was crossed in and headed home near post. After this setback Street laid siege on the visitors goal with Tom Clifford-Jones and then Kye Palmer both being denied by brilliant saves from the Odd Down keeper & then Ben Amghar seeing his goalbound header cleared off the line from under the bar by an Odd Down defender. To their credit Street battled till the end but just couldn't find a way through a visiting team that worked tirelessly to preserve their lead and must be given credit for their efforts.
Team : 1. Dix. 2.Amghar 3. Radcliffe 4.Milner D 5. Tom Clifford-Jones. 6.Pople D 7. Palmer. 8. Thomas (Gale 57) 9. Lambert (Blackmore 80) 10. Dovey 11. Pople M (Bisgrove 75)
Street put up a spirited fight at high riding Bitton and could and should have come home with at least a point after spurning several guilt edged chances. Defending down the slope the Cobblers came under early pressure from the home side with ex QPR striker Michael Meaker being the main threat as he held the ball up well and brought others into the game & also forced Brendan Dix into 2 early saves, With Nick Milner restored to the starting line up in the centre of midfield after an injury had caused an absence of 10 months, Manager Dave Pople opted for a 4 4 2 line up with Matt Blackmore returning up front to partner Simon Gale & it was Blackmore who was the biggest threat to the home side as his pace got him in behind the defence on several occasions in the 1st half but he was unable to find the killer instinct and the sides went in at the break all square. As the second period resumed there was a down turn in the weather as torrential rain began to fall a bitterly cold wind swept up through the pitch but despite the atrocious conditions both sides endeavoured to play the ball on the floor. After a nervous opening 10 minutes Street began to get on top & with confidences rising carved out some excellent chance but again failed to convert them & were made to pay. Matt Blackmore was again at the thick of things as he again got behind the home defence and cut in from the left but with just the keeper to beat he opted to turn inside in an effort to shoot with his right foot & the shot was blocked, then with 20 minutes to go Nick Milner curled a ball into the box from the right, Blackmore rose above the defence and nodded the ball down to Martin Pople who with the goal at his mercy 6 yards out inexplicably squirmed his shot past the post. Within a minute Street were made to pay as Bitton broke up the hill & a cross from the left was turned into his own net by Pople at the near post to compound a miserable 2 minutes for the young wing back. Manager Pople then made 2 changes sending on Keiron White & Lewis Lambert for Blackmore & Pople and Bitton doubled their advantage minutes later. Lambert picked up a pass on the left & tried to turn inside but was robbed and the ball played to Meaker who cut into the box and drew the keeper before rolling the ball across the box to Luke Cornish who applied the finishing touch, sweeping the ball home to condemn Street to their 14th defeat of the season.
Team : 1. Dix. 2.Amghar 3. Radcliffe 4.Milner D 5. Feltham. 6.Pople D 7. Palmer. 8. Milner N 9. Gale 10. Blackmore .(Lambert 83) 11. Pople M (White 83)
F A Vase Melksham Town 4 Street 1(20/11/07)
This was a performance and game that Street will want to forget in a hurry. After the exploits of last season in the Vase had been rewarded with exemption until the 2nd round, Street surrendered at the 1st hurdle this time around as they went down by 4 goals to 1 against a very ordinary Melksham Town, with all 4 goals coming from basic errors. The trouble started in the 2nd minute when Shaun Dennison played a 1-2 on the edge of the box and then strode unchallenged into Street penalty area before dispatching a shot into the net to give Melksham a dream start. Street struggled to find any rhythm in the opening 15 minutes but gradually got a foothold on the game and went close through Amghar & Pople before the former headed a deserved equaliser in the 31st minute. Street then made the mistake of switching off and Johnny Davoile was presented with an easy chance to restore the lead which he took after running unmarked & unchallenged through the Street backline. The game was over as a contest just before the break when as Street mounted an attack Matt Blackmore was fouled from behind on the edge of the Melksham area but the Referee overlooked what was a blatant infringement of the rules and Melksham countered and scored a controversial 3rd goal as the ball came off a Melksham hand before falling to Dennison who finished well although again unchallenged. Still reeling from the events of the 1st half Street were caught cold 5 minutes in to the 2nd period when Adam Young was allowed the freedom of the Street penalty area to head home a 4th and complete a miserable day for the Cobblers.
Team : 1. Dix. 2.Seaward G ( Bisgrove 81) 3. Radcliffe 4.Mira 5. Ashton. 6.Pople D (Clifford-Jones 74) 7. Amghar. 8. Butler ( White 72) 9. Gale 10. Blackmore. 11. Pople M (White 61)
Somerset Premier Cup Frome Town 2 Street 0 (13/11/07)
Street went out of the Somerset Premier Cup against a very good Frome Town side on Tuesday evening. After the previous 2 performances against Willand & Bideford, Street went into this game full of optimism but they fell a long way short of the standard set the week before & lost the tie by 2 goals to nil. Frome looked sharp from the start & spent most of the 1st half in the or around the Street penalty area as they prodded & probed the Cobblers back line looking for an opening. Fortunatelly for Street goalkeeper Brendan Dix was in scintillating form and pulled of a string of fine saves to keep the visitors in the game. Street's attacks were rare and only a Matt Blackmore effort threatened the home goal with the Frome keeper forced to make a save. The 2nd half started in the same vein with Frome playing some good football but unable to make the breakthrough, that was until the 61st minute when Alex Lapham was allowed time and space on the edge of the box and took full advantage firing in the opening goal. 5 minutes later the game was all over as following a great run and cross from the right Dean Griffiths stole in at the front post a directed the ball past Dix to make it 2-0. Street had a couple of chances late on with Keiron White & Simon Gale both firing wide but the game was already over by then.
Team : 1. Dix. 2.Seaward G 3. Radcliffe 4.Mira 5. Ashton. 6.Clifford-Jones 7. Amghar. 8. Butler ( White 72) 9. Gale 10. Blackmore. 11. Pople M Not Used : Catley, Badman, Punchard
Les Phillips Cup Round 2 Bideford 3 Street 1(After Extra-Time) (10/11/07)
Street went into this Les Phillips tie at Bideford full of optimism following the superb mid week win against Willand Rovers & that optimism was justified when after 10 minutes Martin Pople nipped in behind the home defence and chipped the ball into the net to give Street the lead. Bideford were finding it difficult to breakthrough the Cobblers back line while at the other end Gale, Blackmore, Palmer & Pople were a constant threat. After the break both sides went close with Pople having a goalbound shot blocked on the line and at the other end surging run from Sam Churchill ended with a rasping drive going just wide. Churchil then set up an opportunity for Hapgood but he shot over when clean through & then Blackmore followed suit at the other end after being released by Butler. The game changed though with the introduction of Bideford substitute Matt Downing as the home side suddenly looked a much greater threat although their equaliser had more than a touch of good fortune about it. With 19 minutes left on the clock Skipper Ellis Laight hit a shot from 25 yards that hit a divot right in front of Brendan Dix and instead of collecting the ball comfortably it bounced up and struck the Street keeper on the shoulder before rebounding into the path of Downing who smashed it into the roof of the net. With extra time looming Street had a golden opportunity to win the game when Palmer took a quick free kick on the edge of the Bideford box while they were busy lining up a defensive wall and found Blackmore 6 yards out with just the keeper to beat, unfortunately he dragged his 1st time shot across the face of the goal and the chance was gone & oh how costly it turned out to be as in the 1st minute of extra time Hapgood put the hosts ahead & then the same player made the game safe just before the break. Overall though Street can take pride in their performance as they matched Bideford for most of the 90 minutes and restricted them to very few clear cut chances whilst always looking a threat up front.
Team : 1. Dix. 2.Amghar 3. Radcliffe 4.Lambert (Pople D 112) 5. Ashton. 6.Clifford-Jones (Catley 102) 7. Palmer. 8. Butler 9. Gale 10. Blackmore. 11. Pople M ( Seaward G 81)
Street 3 Willand Rovers 1 (06/11/07)
If Manager Dave Pople was looking for a positive response after Saturday's drubbing at Truro then he must have been more than pleased with the response he got from his side as they played some of their best football of the season against high flying Willand and fully deserved this victory. Pople made 3 changed from Saturday, with Lee Ashton returning from injury Kye Palmer was returned to the starting line up & Martin Pople given his full debut. Street came out of the blocks fast and had the visitors on the back foot in the opening 15 mins but the had to wait until the 20th minute before taking the lead. After what looked like a late challenge from Pople went unpunished the ball went into touch & while some of the Willand players were pre-occupied with their protests to the Referee Street took a quick through & Martin Butler raced clear before slotting the ball past the keeper. Street continued to have the upper hand & doubled their lead just before the break when a weak header by the Willand centre back was intercepted by Matt Blackmore who sublimely lifted the ball over the advancing keeper to make it 2. After the break Willand looked a lot more purposeful & Street were forced to defend for long periods, but the back line held out & just after the hour Danny Mira chipped the keeper from the edge of the box to make the game safe. Willand grabbed a consolation 10 minutes from time when Pocock was fouled in the box and Steele converted from the spot, but this was Street's night and the players can take a lot of pride in the way they performed.
Team : 1. Dix. 2.Amghar 3. Radcliffe 4. Mira. 5. Ashton. 6.Pople D 7. Palmer. 8. Butler 9. Gale 10. Blackmore. 11. Pople M Subs not used : White, Clifford-Jones, Lambert
Truro City 8 Street 0 (03/11/07)
Street travelled to Truro on Saturday hoping to give the home side a close game as they had done just 6 weeks earlier at the Tannery, but also mindful of what the ambitious Cornish side were capable of as they had beaten Ilfracombe 7-1 only 4 days earlier. Unfortunately for the cobblers the home side showed their class and Street were blown away. In thier 1st attack of the game Scott Walker raced down the left flank & sent over an inch perfect cross that the prolific Stewart Yetton rose & headed home at the far post. 2 minutes later things got worse for Street when a weak header from Ben Amghar was intercepted by Yetton & he was then upended by Dix as he raced from his goal. Dix received a yellow card & Yetton dusted himself down and slotted the spot kick into the net to double his tally. Street then enjoyed a period of pressure causing the home keeper to make a smart save from Blackmore & Gale also going close but shortly after Yetton hit the crossbar the leading marksman completed his hat trick tapping the ball into the net after Reski had set him up.45 minutes before the break Jake Ash hit a screamer of a free kick from 30 yards out to make it 4 & right on the whistle Reski ran across the edge of the box before riffling a shot into the bottom corner to make it 5. Street's best period of the game came directly after the break as looked to restore some pride, a great 1-2 between Simon Gale & Keiron White allowed the latter to cross to Lewis Lambert whose thumping header came back off both the bar & post & was cleared, then minutes later Gale went clear but his shot was well saved by the advancing Vaughan & then Truro turned on the style again Gosling this time sending over an inch perfect cross that Reski headed home to make it 6. 2 minutes later Reski turned provider again crossing for Yetton to head home his 4th and Truro's 7th & with 15 minutes remaining a corner from the left was headed back across goal by Yetton & Marcus Martin stabbed the ball home to complete the scoring. It was clear for all to see the Truro are a quality side who have the personnel & the ability to play at a much higher level and this was a day when they showed it, but it still doesn't make the defeat any easier to swallow.
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Pople D( Malone J 80) 3. Radcliffe ( Palmer 65) 4. Mira. 5. Amghar. 6.Clifford-Jones 7. White (Pople M 65). 8. Butler 9. Gale 10. Blackmore. 11. Lambert
Devizes Town 3 Street 2 (27/10/07)
This was a much improved away performance following on from the excellent mid week win against Chard, but once again Street's inexperience was exposed as they failed to gain at least a point after twice battling back from behind. The early exchanges were tame although Street were forced into a change when Dan Milner limped off after only 4 minutes and was replaced by Simon Radcliffe who was himself returning from injury. In the 26th minute Devizes were awarded a penalty when a misplaced pass from Keiron White forced Ben Amghar to bring down the Devizes forward & Darren Robison fired in the spot kick off the underside of the bar. Street drew level 5 minutes before the break when Matt Blackmore headed the ball away from the stunned home keeper as he was about to throw the ball upfield & then turned and chipped him from 25 yards. Despite strong protests from the home side the Referee said no offence had been committed & the goal stood. Within a minute though Street fell behind. The ball was lost on the right & instead of trying to regain possession the Street player stood and protested allowing the ball to be carried 50 yards into the Street penalty area where a cross was blocked resulting in a corner. Although the initial cross was headed clear it fell to Jeremy Newton on the edge of the area & hit a screamer into the top right corner of the net. After the break Street rallied and had their best spell of the game resulting in Marcus Butler sending a slide rule pass through the Devizes defence to Matt Blackmore who held off a challenge before coolly lifting the ball over the advancing keeper. With Street in the ascendancy a point or even 3 looked in the offing but once again Street's inability to keep possession let in the home side as a stray pass found Newton on the left & his cross was converted at the far post by Adam Giles. Brendan Dix was called upon 3 times to make 1 on 1 saves as the cobblers went in search of an equalizer and missed 2 golden chances when 1st Matt Blackmore headed over from 4 yards & then C J completely missed the ball with the goal at his mercy from a similar distance. The cause was then not helped when only minutes after being cautioned Kye Palmer had an altercation with the Assistant Referee that resulted in his instant dismissal and the end of Street's chances..
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Pople D 3. White( Pople M 80). 4. Milner D ( Radcliffe 4). 5. Amghar. 6.Clifford-Jones 7. Palmer. 8. Butler 9. Gale (Howse 80) 10. Blackmore. 11. Lambert
Street 2 Chard Town 1 (23/10/07)
Street started this game like a tornado and tore through the Chard defence at will in the opening 20 minutes, with Kye Palmer (twice) Simon Gale & Matt Blackmore all spurning chances before a long ball over the top was hammered into the net by Lewis Lambert to give them a much deserved lead. If this was a boxing match the Referee would have stepped in and stopped it as it was all one way traffic but despite the constant pressure the cobblers failed to increase their lead & went into the break with just a solitary goal to show for all their efforts. The second half vegan in the same vein with Street totally in control & attacking at will but they had to wait until the hour mark to increase their lead, although it was well worth the wait as Keiron White's cross from the left was thumped past the stranded Chard keeper on the volley by Simon Gale 25 yards out. Chard made to changes straight after the goal & brought on Francis Rolli who joined two other ex cobblers Chris Luke & Alexis Piper up front in a three pronged attack as they tried to salvage something from the game & with 5 minutes remaining they managed a consolation goal when Dan Harvey riffled the ball into the roof of the net.
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Pople D 3. White. 4. Milner D ( Butler 75). 5. Amghar. 6.Clifford-Jones 7. Palmer. 8. Mira 9. Gale 10. Blackmore. 11. Lambert Not used Bisgrove, Mullins
Welton Rovers 3 Street 1(20/10/07)
After the mauling received at Frome the previous week Street went into this game with pride at stake were a match for Welton for most of the 1st half after falling behind to a headed goal by Mark Rowlands after 25 minutes the cobblers battled back & got their just rewards a minute before the break when Simon Gale equalized with a shot that took a slight deflection. Street fell behind early in the second period when was allowed to run unchallenged from the right touchline on the half way land to the edge of the Street area were he teed up the ball for Kye Mountfield to drill into the bottom corner of the net. Street then had their best spell of the game as they forced Welton onto the back heel and went close when 1st Danny Mira sent in a dipping shot from 18 yards that went just over & then Simon Gale had a shot brilliantly saved at close range. Ben Amghar then got in on the action & went past 4 players before unleashing a rocket that whistled just over the bar with the home keeper stranded. But Street's inability to find the back of the net was again to prove costly when Tovey got away down the left and crossed to the far post where Rob Dumphy was left with the sample task of knocking the ball into the net and condemning the cobblers to their 8th League defeat of the season.
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Pople D 3. White. 4. Milner D 5. Amghar. 6.Clifford-Jones 7. Palmer (Blackmore 77). 8. Mullins (Mira 55) 9. Gale 10. 11. Lambert Not used Bisgrove,
Frome Town 5 Street 0 (13/10/07)
This is a game that Street will want to forget quickly as they were well beaten by a polished Frome side that look destined to be challenging for honours come May. The most disappointing aspect of the defeat was that Street failed to show the same sort of commitment & tenacity that they have shown in recent games against Truro & Bideford as Frome were given the time a space to set up chance after chance. There was little hint of what was to come in the early stages though & in fact it was Street that went closest when Ben Amghar's powerful header was cleared off the line in the 2nd minute. In the 31st minute though Street pressed the self destruct button when a mix up between Amghar & Dix gave Mark Salter the easiest chance he is likely to have this season to put the hosts 1-0 ahead. With the cobblers still reeling Frome added a 2nd 2 minutes later when Clifford-Jones was robbed of the ball on the right & the ball was crossed to Allinson who made no mistake from 6 yards. Street had the worst possible start to the 2nd half when within 2 minutes Alex Lapham hit an fierce angled shot from the right across Dix and into the far corner of the net. 10 minutes later it was 4 when Sam Duggan netted after the ball had come back 1st off the Street crossbar & then the post. Street did find the back of the net in the 70th minute when a sweeping move down the right resulted in Kye Palmer pulling the ball back across the Frome goal & Keiron White sweeping the ball over the line, inexplicably the Assistant Referee (who had failed to keep up with Palmers run) ruled White offside when he had clearly come in behind the ball. Frome then added a 5th 2 minutes from time when Cheeseman headed home from 6 yards.
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Pople 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6.Ashton (Clifford-Jones 0 mins) 7. Palmer. 8. Badman (Butler 62) 9. Gale 10. White. 11. Lambert
Clevedon United 2 Street 3 (08/10/07)
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Mira ( Butler 76) 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Ashton 7. Palmer. 8. Badman 9. Gale (Howse 76) 10. White 11. Lambert
Street 2 Bideford 2(06/10/07)
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Mira 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Pople (Lambert 86) 7. Palmer. 8. Badman 9. Gale 10. White (Butler 65) 11. Lambert
Calne Town 1 Street 0(29/09/07)
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Mira 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Pople (Lambert 86) 7. Palmer. 8. Badman 9. White 10. Howse. 11. Thomas (Gale 82)
Street 0 Truro City 2(22/09/07)
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Mira (Lambert 68) 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Pople( Clifford-Jones 80) 7. Palmer . 8. Badman 9. White 10. Howse (Gale 70) 11. Thomas
Street 2 Radstock Town 0 (15/09/07)
After 3 successive league defeats Street bounced back to record their 1st home win of the season, but they were made to fight all the way by a lively Radstock side. The 1st half had little incident as both sides toiled in the searing heat at the Tannery although Radstock missed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 35th minute when a free kick wide on the right alluded everyone in the Street penalty area but fell invitingly to James Billing at the far post. Fortunately for Street though he spurned the chance sending his first time shot past the far post. Street's best effort came 5 minutes later when Dan Badman hit a cracking drive from 30 yards that forced the visiting keeper to make a smart save low to his left. Radstock came out of the blocks flying at the stsart of the 2nd half & Street were imdebted to keeper Brendan Dix who pulled of 4 superb saves to deny both James Billing & Damion Preece twice in the opening 10 minutes. Street created a decent effort in the 56th minute when Craig Thoomas found Keiron Whitre in space at the far post but he shot tamely at the keeper. Radstock should have gone ahead a minute later when Danny Hunt & James Billing combined on the right before the later rolled the ball invitingly across the face of the goal to skipper Dave Blake who inexplicably stabbed the ball past the post from 8 yards out. In the 62nd White had another chance for Street but shot over following a cross from Kye Palmer & 5 minutes later Palmer again got behind the Radstock back 4 a sent over a superb cross the Ian Howse powered towards the goal. .Radstock keeper Gary Stevens was equal to the challenge though & pulled off a brilliant reaction save but the ball fell invitingly to Craig Thomas whose 1st time effort from 6 yards was blocked. Street made 2 changes in the 71st minute bringing on Tom Clifford-Jones & Simon Gale for Danny Badman & Ian Howse respectively but had another lucky escape 2 minutes later when the dabgerous Billing carried the ball from the half way line unchallenged before hitting a shot wide from the edge of the box. Having rode their luck Street started to threaten and Craig Thomas cut in from the left & sent in a fierce shot from 20 yards that was well saved but a minute later Keiron White got away down the right & crossed to Simon Gale who hammered the ball into the roof of the net from 6 yards to give the Cobblers the lead. With 10 minutes remaining Radstock missed another sitter when Preece played the ball across the Street 6 yard box to Billing who rolled the ball wide of the post with the goal at his mercy. That miss was to prove costly as with 2 minutes remaining when Craig Thomas won the race to a 40 yard through ball from Lewis Lambert & calmly stroked the ball bpast the on rushing keeper from the edge of the box to secure the points.
Willand Rovers 4 Street 1 (08/09/07)
This game was effectively over as a contest in the 30th minute as Willand stacked up a 3 goal lead. The warning signs were there in the 10th minute when Paul Pocock was given the freedom to turn & shoot in the box forcing Brendan Dix to make a sharp save diving low to his right. From the resulting corner Street failed to clear the ball & Sam Croft was left with an easy finish from 4 yards out. 2 minutes later the home side doubled their lead when a ball into the box was headed forward by Croft to Sam Williams who headed home unmarked 6 yards out. Street created a good chance on 29 minutes when Kye Palmer crossed to Ian Howse but he hooked his shot over the bar & a minute later the game was over when Dave Pople was robbed of possession inside his own 6 yard box and the ball was rolled invitingly into the path of Danny Jee who scored with ease. Dave Pople nearly redeemed himself in the 39th minute when hi rose a bove the home defence to meet a Ben Amghar free kick but unfortunately the ball flew straight into the keepers arms & the chance was gone. Right on the stroke of half time Willand were gifted another goal when hesitation in the Street back line allowed James Ansell to bundle his way past 2 defenders before rolling the ball past Dix After the break Street's approach to the game changed completely & they dominated for long spells with Ian Howse scoring his 4th of the campaign following some good approach play from Simon Gale & Kye Palmer and the same -player was unlucky not to add to his tally with another couple of efforts. Dan Milner also went close with a rasping drive from 35 yards, but Street were once again left to ponder " What if " as on there second half showing they would have been worthy of at least a point.
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Mira 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Pople 7. Clifford-Jones . 8. Lambert.( Thomas 51) 9. Gale (Badman 77). 10. Palmer . 11. Howse Not Used : Gymer
Bristol Manor Farm 3 Street 1 (01/09/07)
This is a game and a performance that Street will want to forget quickly as they came away with nothing against a side they should & could have beaten. The home side had the 1st chance when a rare slip by Dan Milner let in Leon Simpson but he lifted his shot over the bar. A minute later Simon Gale tested the home keeper with a low shot to his right that he got down well to save. On the quarter hour mark Simon Radcliffe laid the ball into the path of Ian Howse who's shot from 20 yards was deflected wide & in another good move down the left involving Palmer & Howse the ball was crossed to Gale who laid it back for Tom Clifford-Jones to drive at goal but again it was deflected to safety. Apart from the pace of Plummer Manor Farm offered little threat up front & looked to be there for the taking until a5 minutes before the break the ball was laid back to Simpson 30 yards from goal and the big striker hit a superb low shot that crept just inside the post. Danny Badman nearly levelled the scores a minute later when he hit a curling free kick from 30 yards that seemed destined for the top corner but the home keeper got across a brilliantly tipped it over the bar. Street fell further behind shortly after the break when Plummer cut in from the right a fired a shot into the roof of the net and after that struggled to make much headway until 15 minutes from time when Ian Howse was chopped down in the box as he prepared to shoot. The Referee awarded a spot kick but inexplicably let the player stay on the pitch even though he had blatantly denied Street a goal scoring opportunity, I suppose that's another rule that has been forgotten about ?, like delaying the taking of free-kicks & kicking the ball away. All three which were of paramount importance 2 seasons ago, but now it seems its back to normal again Anyway Manor Farm wrapped up the points & there 1st win of the season, in the dying seconds when James Stephens netted after Street were caught pushing forward.
Team : 1. Dix. 2..Mira 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Ashton (Pople 78) 7. Clifford-Jones (Lambert 78). . 8. Badman. 9. Gale (White 73). 10. Palmer . 11. Howse.
Street 0 Devizes Town 1 (28/08/07)
Street got off to the worst possible start to this fixture when in the 2nd minute Ryan Trowbidge rose unchallenged at the far post a headed the visitors in to the lead from a corner kick. Despite this early set back Street kept their composure & created a couple of half decent chances the first coming in the 12th minute when Ian Howse's overhead kick from a Simon Radcliffe cross was blocked & Keiron White following up fired the ball just over the bar. Kye Palmer can also count himself unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after a brilliant run on the half hour mark that saw him leave 3 defenders in his wake as he broke from the halfway line and cut inside before unleashing a powerful shot that grazed the top of the bar. At the other end Joe O'chucko was a constant threat & twice went close before the break firstly he turned sharply in the box a flicked a shot just over the bar & moments later he again turned sharply on the edge of the box and drilled a shot just past the upright. After the break Street continued to search for an equaliser with Ian Howse hitting a shot just wide from a Lewis Lambert cross & Kye Palmer going close with a chip that was just to close to the keeper. Streets best opportunity however came in the final minute when Amghar won the ball on the left deep inside his own half & played a first time pass to Ian Howse on the halfway line, he in turn laid the ball back to Dave Pople who hit a inch perfect 30 yard pass into the path of Kye Palmer giving him just the keeper to beat. Unfortunately though the striker didn't make a clean connection and the ball rolled agonisingly past the post.
Team : 1. Dix. 2.White . 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Pople 7. Clifford-Jones (Badman 75). . 8. Lambert. 9. Gale. 10. Palmer . 11. Howse.
Odd Down 1 Street 2 (25/08/07)
Street recorded their 1st victory of the new season & the 1st for Manager Dave Pople when they came away from Odd Down with a 2-1 win although they were made to fight all the way. Street took the lead in the 16th minute when Kye Palmer was held back in the penalty area and Ian Howse stepped up and buried the spot kick for his 2nd goal of the season. Street were now playing some neat football and looking comfortable but 15 minutes before the break Dave Pearce nodded the ball into the Street net following a corner on the right to bring the hosts level. Odd Down's joy was short lived though as 2 minutes later Ben Amghar rose above the home defence & headed the ball ball in off the underside of the bar to regain the lead for the cobblers. After the break Odd Down threw everything at Street in an effort to snatch a point but the visitors defence held firm & when they were breached Brendan Dix was on hand to keep them out with some superb saves. The home side may well have felt hard done by at the end of the 90 minutes not to have gained at least a draw, but they failed convert the the pressure they had into goals and Street defended resolutely after taking the lead and worked hard throughout to earn this victory.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. Mira ( White 46) . 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Pople 7. Clifford-Jones. . 8. Lambert. 9. Gale. ( Bisgrove 72) 10. Palmer . 11. Howse.
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Street 2 Wimborne Town 5(18/08/07)
Street went out of the F A Cup as they once again lost out to a Wessex League side when they were well beaten by Wimborne Town at the Tannery by 5 goals to 2. The visitors took the lead in the 25th minute when Kevin James turned sharply in the box and got to the by-line before rolling the ball into Scott Joyce who tapped the ball into the net from 2 yards out. Street almost replied immediately when Ian Howse played in Kye Palmer but his effort was well saved by Hutchings & the visitors went in at the break with their slender lead in tact. 4 minutes after the restart though they doubled their lead when a free kick wide on the right slipped through the hands of Brendan Dix & landed on the head of Josh Thomas who scored with ease. Things got worse for Street 10 minutes later when they failed to react to a quick short corner on the left & the ball was crossed to Joyce who headed home unmarked 6 yards out. Wimborne's leading marksman then completed his hat- trick, & netted his 8th goal in 3 outings this term, when he fired in a low left foot shot from 12 yards. Street's misery was completed when a free kick was conceded on the edge of the box & Tom MCormick drove the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 5. The cobblers regained some pride in the last 10 minutes though when after a neat 1-2 Simon Radcliffe got behind the visitors defence & saw his excellent cross turned into his own net by Scot Arnold & then 5 minutes later Hutchings (having been booked after his protests over the 1st Street goal only minutes earlier, had a rush of blood & charged out his goal & floored Kye Palmer as the ball looked to be running out for a harmless goal kick. The Referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot but amazingly failed to show the keeper a second yellow for what was obviously a cautionable offence. Ian Howse then stepped up to the spot and dispatched the penalty with aplomb and although it was too little too late the visitors were noticeably rattled & Street were left to ponder what might have been if they had got a goal earlier. As it was Wimborne march on and fully deserved their win and will always be a threat while they have a finisher like Scott Joyce in their side.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. Amghar. 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Ashton. 6. Clifford-Jones. 7. White (Mira 60). 8. Lambert. 9. Howse . 10. Palmer . 11. Bisgrove. (Badman 67).
not used : Mullins, Pople, Seaward G
Brislington 3 Street 0(14/08/07)
Street suffered a 3-0 defeat at Brislington on Tuesday night in a game they might easily have won if they had taken the chances that came their way especially in the 1st half. Street showed their intent from the start and had a chance after only 3 minutes when a Simon Gale header hit the post.& that set the tone for the whole of the 1st half as shots from Clifford-Jones 2 Lambert, White, Thomas,, Gale & Palmer all rained in on the Brislington goal but only Palmers shot forced a save from the home keeper & 10 minutes before the break the home side took the lead when they were awarded a penalty following a push from Ashton in the box. The spot kick was struck firmly to the left of Dix who got down quickly to make a superb save only for the taker to follow up & bundle the ball into the net. At the start of the second half Street forced a succession of corners & from 2 of them the home keeper lost the ball but no one was on hand to add the killer touch & the danger was cleared & when the ball fell to Craig Thomas 12 yards out his goalbound shot was deflected past the post off the outstretched leg of a home defender.. Street then had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down when the ball struck the raised hand of a Brilington defender moments later but the Referee waved play on & moments later the home side doubled their lead when an attempted clearance struck a Brislington player and looped over Dix & into the net. Brislington then created plenty of chances in the final 20 minutes as Street pushed forward in search of a goal but the final nail went into the coffin 3 minutes from time when the referee awarded another penalty for a late tackle which was duly dispatched. In the end the home side ran out worthy winners but it would & should have been oh so different.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. White. 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Ashton. 7. Clifford-Jones (Mira 75mins). 8. Lambert. 9. Gale (Howse 75mins). 10. Palmer (Bisgrove 70mins). 11. Thomas.
Street opened their Toolstation Western League account with a hard earned draw against Bitton. New boss Dave Pople handed debuts to Lewis Lambert , Tom Clifford -Jones And Simon Radcliffe and thy were joined in the starting line up by Simon Gale & Craig Thomas who have both returned to the cobblers after spells with Chard Town & Bridgwater Town respectively. It was a;lways going to be a tough opening fixture against the strong Bristol side but after a nervous start Street began to settle & carved out a number of chances. In the 15 minute a good move down the right led to the ball fallinhg to Craig Thomas who turned inside his marker & hit a low drive that was only inches wide. Minutes later Kye Palmer did well on the right & beat his man before whipping in a cross that Ballard in the visitors goals could only parry into the path of Lambert but his clever goalbound chip was headed wide for a corner. Bitton's reply was a dipping 35 yard effort from De-Wet that thankfully dropped just wide of the target. Street then produced the move of the game that saw Lambert, Gale & Thomas link up well before Gale played in Lambert who saw his shot saved from a tight angle. Bitton spurned a golden opportunity to take the lead 5 minutes before the break when Meaker was allowed room at the far post but Dix touched his weak header round the post. In the 2nd half Bitton enjoyed a lot more possession and nearly snatched all three points in the closing stages when they twice saw efforts come back of the crossbar, but the cobblers defence held firm to earn a creditable draw & their 1st point of the season.
Team : 1. Dix. 2. White. 3. Radcliffe. 4. Milner D. 5. Amghar. 6. Ashton. 7. Clifford-Jones (Mira 72mins). 8. Lambert. 9. Gale (Howse 76mins). 10. Palmer (Bisgrove 82mins). 11. Thomas.
Street 1 Bristol City 3(27/07/07)
A large crowd at the Tannery Ground saw The Cobblers give the young Robins a run for their money before finally succumbing to the Championship side. Street started with confidence & deservedly took the lead in the 20th minute when Lewis Lambert hit a stunning left foot drive into the bottom corner of the net after an initial effort had been parried. City then sprung to life and showed their class in the remainder of the half scoring twice & having another goal ruled out for offside just before the break. Both sides rang the changes in the second half and had their fair share of chances, but it was The Robins then scored the goal that killed the game when Wilkinson latched on to a lose ball on the edge of the box and calmly curled the ball into the corner of the net past the despairing dive of home keeper Tom Punchard to put the result beyond doubt.
Street 3 Oldland Abbotonians 0 (21/07/07)
Street, began a new chapter in their history this afternoon when Dave Pople took charge of the team for the 1st time and by 4.45pm he looked a very pleased man. With Street having retained the majority of last terms squad & with a sprinkling of new additions the Cobblers made a tentative start to the game on a superb playing surface. After a few long range efforts from both sides Street eventually took the lead in the 21st minute when a delightful cross from the left was headed home by Keiron White. Street enjoyed the majority of play in the remainder of the half & created several 1/2 chances but failed to add to their lead. Pople rang the changes after the break and were indebted to last season's Player of the year Brendan Dix who was forced into action on a couple of occasions as Oldland fought to get back in the game. Street though increased therier lead 12 minutes into the half when a free kick was knocked past his own keeper by an unfortunate Oldland defender. Both teams created chances after this as the game opened up before with 10 minutes remaining Ben Amghar produced a piece of magic to seal the victory. With his back to goal on the edge of the Oldland penalty area Amghar flicked the ball up and over his shoulder turning 3 defenders in the process & then hit a sweet dipping volley over the keeper with his left foot, much to the delight of his teamates and the appreciative home crowd. The only downside of the day was a foot injury suffered by Luke Dovey just before the break which forced him off the pitch & home on crutches but hopefully it is only bruising.
Starting XI Dix, Mira, Bisgrove, Milner D, Clifford-Jones, Amghar, Dovey, Badman, White, Howse, Thomas. Subs used Palmer, Gale, Seaward, Lambert, Mullins, Blackmore, Malone J,
