Two early goals helped settle the nerves and set Buckland Athletic up for a well-deserved FA Cup Preliminary Round victory over Southern League visitors Mangotsfield United.
Despite a positive and creative start from the visitors, Buckland scored the opener just six minutes in. Mangotsfield goalkeeper Cameron Clarke attempted to clear his lines but the onrushing Graham Mercieca charged down his kick. The rebound cannoned off the near post but fortunately for Mercieca it came straight back to him. With Clarke out of the game, Mercieca controlled the ball and passed it into the vacant net for 1-0. Mangotsfield responded by breaking down the right-hand side and sending a low shot just wide of Kenny Griffiths’ right-hand post.
Then, six minutes later, Richard Groves gave the Bristol side a substantial hill to climb with a superb 20 yard free-kick which curled around the wall and beat Clarke at his near post. In an eventful two minute spell, Buckland then lost first Dan Griffiths and then Simon Revell to injury with Nick Rudge and Ryan Bush entering the fray.
Due to the quality of the opposition, there was little chance of the Yellows resting on their laurels and they pressed for a third goal, player-manager Craig Duff coming close with a deflected shot. The game was then disrupted for a lengthy spell as a Mangotsfield player received treatment for an injury prior to being stretched off. When the game resumed, the Bristol side were straight on to the attack, Kye Simpson’s shot well-saved by Griffiths. At the other end, Bush almost capitalised on a goalkeeping blunder as Clarke dropped the ball on the edge of his area. Bush accepted the invitation to shoot but the ball fizzed wide of the far post. Moments later, Mercieca blazed another shot over the bar.
Buckland continued to pressurise the visiting goalkeeper at every opportunity with one robust Bush challenge ending with Clarke going down in the box.
Unsurprisingly, the first half was extended by more than eight minutes with Mangotsfield looking increasingly threatening as they sought the crucial third goal of the game. Captain Kyle Tooze was looking particularly dangerous on the right with Lewis Tasker doing well to keep him at bay. Tooze did get one shot away, firing over the bar, and was racing into the box when Caelen Simpson opted to drive into the Buckland defence on the left instead, his effort eventually thwarted. With Buckland getting to half-time with their goal intact there was a sense that they had achieved an important milestone but with a lot of work yet to do to seal their place in the next round.
HALF TIME: Buckland Athletic 2 – 0 Mangotsfield United
Mangotsfield put pressure on the Buckland goal early in the second half but the Yellows began to strengthen again as the half wore on. Mercieca went on a lung-busting run but a much more competent half from Clarke saw the goalkeeper out smartly to intercept his through ball. Tasker had a shot deflected for a goal-kick before Buckland came close to killing the game off with a bizarre chance that hit the woodwork three times. First, Groves’ free-kick was turned onto his near post by Clarke, then the rebound hit the bar before coming back to Tasker on the edge of the box. His effort then clipped the bar on the way over.
That chance seemed to galvanise the visitors who once more pushed for a goal back, Buckland forced to clear the ball off the line and seeing the follow up shot fly narrowly over the bar. That proved to be the last real opportunity that Mangotsfield had with Mercieca and Bush looking most likely to score the next goal as the game reached its climax. Clarke did well to bravely stop Bush’s effort, injuring himself in the process, before Mercieca drove another effort wide. Clark’s next save from Mercieca was more comfortable, the shot hit right at him after another promising run.
But despite both side’s efforts, no further goals were scored in the second half and Buckland celebrated a well-deserved 2-0 win over their higher-placed opponents. Buckland are now through to the first of four FA Cup qualifying rounds where they will face Hellenic League side Binfield on the weekend of 8th September.
FULL TIME: Buckland Athletic 2 – 0 Mangotsfield United
“I think we carried on from Tuesday night,” said centre-back Dan Harrison, Buckland’s recent signing from Bideford. “The work rate from the lads was different class. Ryan Bush up top worked his socks off, in the midfield Nick Rudge was quality and I thought as a back four we were pretty solid too so it was a good test against a good team from a higher league.
“I think we’ve got about 12 more rounds until the first round but it’s a great money spinner for the club. Hopefully, in the next round, we can test ourselves again. There are a lot of beatable clubs still in it so it would be good to have a cup run.”
“I thought it was the best we have performed all season,” said manager Craig Duff. “But we had some chances to really kill the game off and on another day, if they get the next goal, the momentum changes. We had three or four glorious chances to get that third goal which, although it’s not game over at three-nil, you’ve got a nice little comfort zone.
“We could probably have then moved up the gears a bit because they would have had to have sent bodies forward. At two-nil, you’re always a bit skeptical. But the boys did well and I don’t remember them creating a chance in the second half which is testament to how well we defended because they are a good team with some good players going forward – you saw that in the first ten minutes. I wasn’t happy how they were passing through the lines, getting in those little pockets and creating openings. But after that, the boys really stepped up and I thought every single one of them was superb, even the two who came on. It’s not ideal changing your team 15 minutes in – twice – when you’re on the front foot and playing well but testament to them they were ready. Nick Rudge was different class, the best I’ve seen him play.”
There was also an impressive performance from young James Moxon making the step up from the reserves side.
“James took a couple of weeks away to get himself fit and ready,” said Duff. “As you’ve seen, he’s playing against a team in the league above and he didn’t look out of shape in there. It’s a hard position to play and they had some good players in there – their captain was superb – and he dealt with all the challenges that were put in front of him.”
Buckland are also benefiting from the return of goalkeeper Kenny Griffiths from injury, a welcome source of stability after having started the season using four different ‘keepers in as many games.
“It’s great to have Ken back,” said Harrison. “You can set your lines five or ten yards higher for free-kicks than you usually would because you can just trust him to come and collect things behind you. His kicking as well. As you saw today, he can boom it which pushes us further up the park.”
Buckland’s next game is on 1st September where they will play Willand Rovers for the second time already this campaign. After having lost 1-0 at Homer’s Heath on the opening day of the season, the Yellows will be looking to carry on their current momentum with a win at Silver Street.
“The first three defeats were disappointing,” said Duff. “We were all gutted and I thought we could have performed better but it was always going to take time.”
“Pre-season wasn’t great due to cancellations and there are a lot of new lads here as well, including myself, so it takes time to gel,” said Harrison. “We’re probably starting the season five games behind where we wanted to be but now we’ve got a way of playing, of getting the lads to do what we want to do and hopefully we can kick on from here. But every game is a battle; there’s no game where you’re going to win by three, four or five.
“I know Craig well from playing at Bideford and playing against him when he was at Taunton and Tiverton. That’s the reason I signed: we’re singing from the same hymn sheet. We both want promotion and to get into that Southern League as quickly as we can but that comes with hard work and obviously, with the start we had, there’s pressure but I think the lads have dug in now and hopefully we can kick on from here.”