21st December 2025 - Tewkesbury Town top of Tree for Xmas
Mark Simpson
With Sharpness falling foul of the weather Tewkesbury Town, on a remarkable ten match winning run, took the opportunity to jump to the top of the table with yet another rather convincing win. Filton Athletic and Frampton United are still hanging on in there. At the bottom it is continuing to be more and more of a difficult task for both Hanham Athletic and Cribbs Reserves to pull themselves up.
At Northway Playing Fields Tewkesbury Town took on Bishops Cleeve Development for the third time in the last six months, and were quick out of the blocks controlling the pace of the match with Jamie Goodwin playing through Alex Roder to open the scoring eight minutes in. Shortly after Cleeve broke fast and a late tackle by Scott Nicholls saw Referee Mark Taylor point to the spot, however, a fantastic save from Joe Poole kept the scoreline at 1-0. After a largely end to end twenty minutes Town regained control when Nathan Newland-Gallaway crossed for Goodwin to make it 2-0. Right before half time Luke Sutherland glanced a header from a Goodwin corner for it to be deflected in for an own-goal. After the break the pace of the match dropped off on the very heavy pitch but Town were able to score a fourth when a blocked Roder shot was turned in by Scott Jordan. An almost identical goal came for the fifth with Roder squaring to Jordan for his brace. Cleeve almost caught Poole out of position but he recovered to make a save and 5-0 it ended.
A local derby at Elm Park with Filton Athletic entertaining Stoke Gifford SGS United, a game that started pretty slowly on a heavy pitch. Filton had the first shot on goal from Liam Dorman but it was comfortable for keeper Jack Sheppard. Gifford had a chance of their own when Stella-Lopez stung the palms of Tom Bradley. Five minutes before the break SGS were nearly handed a goal when Bradley’s attempted clearance hit a Gifford attacker but the ball went wide. The second half continued in the same vein of a quite even and scrappy affair. Gifford’s Kyle Ford had a shot at Bradley’s goal but it was easily saved. Filton were next, but Kyle Thomas’s header from Trey Merrett’s cross was straight at Sheppard. The game somewhat came alive when Merrett thought he’d scored only for it to be ruled out for offside but then moments later he did score finding the bottom corner with an excellent finish. Gifford pushed for a leveller and Max Wiltshire fired over from the edge of the box, however they did equalise when Frolian Stella-Lopez fired an excellent finish across Bradley into the corner of the net. The drama wasn’t finished when into time added on a Merrett free kick was headed in by Jack Cole for 2-1, and in the dying seconds Gifford had a chance to grab a point, when two big chances fell to Wiltshire, the first blocked by Tom Fry, then he blasted the second over and there ended the win for Filton.
At The Lawns, Cribbs Reserves hosted Henbury & Rockleaze and it was the visitors who took the lead on five minutes, Jordan Buckett rising highest to nod home a corner. The first half remained a fairly even affair, end to end at times but no further goals. On 55 minutes Tommy Collins smashed home a second from the edge of the box and five minutes later Tate Shaw’s low shot found the bottom right corner for 3-0. Kai Elliott scrambled home a fourth H&R goal and with five minutes left Henbury played their way through a tired Cribbs defence to set up Elliott for a simple tap in for 5-0 win for the visitors.
Chalford secured a commanding victory over Hanham Athletic at Highfield Way in a thrilling match. The game kicked off with an early strike when Ceejay Summerlin finished off a well delivered cross putting Hanham ahead. The first half saw limited action save for a Newell free kick which saw the defensive wall hold firm. The game burst into life in the 53rd minute when Adam Hazell equalised for Chalford capitalising on a good advantage by the Referee. Chalford took the lead in the 67th minute after a penalty was awarded for a poor challenge and Maryon converted. Chalford extended their lead ten minutes later with a spectacular free kick from Newell which Maryon met with a powerful header for the goal of the match. The scoring was rounded off in the 85th minute when Deano somewhat inadvertently scored from another free kick from Newell. The match concluded with Marco Cincar, obviously not in the festive spirit, getting a straight red. A decisive 4-1 Chalford win.
A welcome break in the weather was enough for today’s game to take place as Wick Owls welcomed Quedgeley Wanderers to the nest. A young and energetic Quedgeley began the game well and shaded possession for the first twenty minutes but neither keeper was tested as defences held firm. However it was Wick who opened the scoring after 25 minutes when George Lloyd nicked the ball from a defender then twisted and turned to fashion a chance to shoot, and finished with a sublime shot into the bottom corner of the Quedgeley net. Five minutes on another Wick shot produced a good save from keeper Kieran Derbyshire. On 40 minutes the industrious Lloyd won the ball for Wick, lobbing the advancing keeper only for his effort land just wide. A minute later QW had their first real effort of the match well saved by Mason Hawkins in the Wick goal, in a spell that saw end to end attacks with Wick failing to connect with a cross fired across the QW box and in the final moments Wick’s defence denied QW a goal. Wick began the second period on the front foot and Cory Langdon could have doubled Wick’s lead but to Quedgeley’s relief he found the side netting. Two minutes later Wick’s Sam Archer raced down the left flank and found Frank Taylor-Fox unmarked but his first time shot was saved by Derbyshire. With Quedgeley still well in the game only a brilliant double save from Mason maintained the host’s slender advantage. On 75 minutes Tommy Lacey broke down the Wick right and found Liam McCracken bursting through the middle, his shot was well saved but Louis Short, arriving in the box, buried his shot for Wick’s second. Minutes later Wick were awarded a penalty which Langdon smashed into the net for 3-0. Wick were now well on the front foot and five minutes from time another bursting run and shot by McCracken brought another good save and Short’s rebound effort was blocked. As the game entered its final minutes QW’s Billy Osabuohien fire home to get Quedgeley on the score sheet but unfortunately for them time ran out with Wick taking the spoils 3-1.
At The Hawthorns Broadwell Amateurs hosted Totterdown United who took an early lead when after a succession of corners a clearance fell ten yards out to Ollie Lovell who was given time to bring the ball down and strike through a crowd for 1-0. Broadwell equalised when Dan Brain slipped in Jamie Belfitt, who carried the ball into the box, cut back inside his defender and finished well into the corner. There were further chances in the half for Burnard, after a well worked corner, and another one for Belfitt after a Brain cross. A minute into the second half Burnard missed a through pass to Lovell leaving him with a two-on-one and he took it on his own and blasted into the top corner for 2-1 to Totterdown. Liam Brain created Broadwell’s equaliser driving into the channel, whipping in a cross to the back for Dan Brain to run onto and shoot into the bottom corner for 2-2. Then, a big penalty shout after Rhys MacPherson forced a defender to under hit his back pass which Belfitt ran onto only to be brought down, with Knight smashing the spot kick down the middle for 3-2 with not long left. Totterdown pressed to salvage something but the Broadwell defence held firm.
At Hardwicke Playing Fields it was a dominant Tytherington Rocks performance against Ruardean Hill Rangers. Tytherington took the lead in the fourth minute when a shot from Kyle Head was saved by Aaron Underwood only for the ball to fall to the feet of Ollie Briggs who smashed the ball in from 6 yards. Head doubled the lead on 27 minutes when a well worked team move opened space for him to curl the ball past Underwood. The second half was more of the same with Rocks pushing for another goal. Step up centre back Connor Davey to head home in the 48th minute. Tytherington got a fourth when a ball over the top fell to the feet of Jake Haynes who volleyed past Underwood in the 76th minute and substitute Ali Fadhli tapped in the 5th in the 80th minute finishing off Kyle Head’s well worked cross. A 5-0 Tytherington win and a perfect way to finish interim manager Michael Magee’s time at the helm.
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