As reported by Matt Englefield
After their highest scoring match ever against an under-strength Chipppenham Town Yellow team, we knew that Steeple Ashton would prove a very tough challenge. Bromham U11's had already met them three times this season, on the last occasion a very hard fought home game had finished in a 3-2 defeat.
Starting the game playing uphill and into a very stiff breeze on the none-too-large Steeple Ashton pitch, Bromham found making progress up field difficult and much of the play was in their own half. However, stout defensive work kept a full strength opposition at bay until about half way through the first half, when the ball emerged from a gaggle of players for Steeple Ashton to slot home. Two further goals swiftly followed as Bromham found the going tough, to make the score 3-0. However, two or three well organised attacking moves, building from the back with excellent play by George Paget and Alex Davies, gave Bromhams' Kyle Smith a couple of clear chances on goal, showing that Bromham weren't finished yet. A dogged attacking move by Jack Taylor ended in his shot being parried by the Steeple Ashton keeper and Kyle Smith pounced to bring the score back to 3-1 at half time.
Having expended a lot of effort struggling against the elements and terrain for the entire first half, Bromham thought that they would at least feel the benefit of a following breeze in the second half. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case, as the wind died off almost completely during half time.
Steeple Ashton restarted the brighter team, and it looked for a while as though they would be adding to their tally. However, good defensive work by Connor Moseley and Chandler Davison (the Bromham keeper) and a goal-line clearance by Caleb Englefield kept them in the game. With midfield players beginning to tire on both sides (after good work for Bromham by Taylor Ellicock and Alfie Reeves amongst others), it was left to Alex Davies to press forward from defense and come up with a great finish to make the score 3-2, maintaining his record of scoring in every match this season.
Unlike in their previous encounter when Bromham had laid siege to the Steeple Ashton goal for the last ten minutes, the advantage then seemed to swing back to the home side and they almost scored on two or three occasions, hitting the post and having several attempts cleared by Bromham players. When the final whistle blew, there were some very tired legs on the pitch and a feeling for some that they didn't deserve to come away with nothing. Though they didn't come away the victors on this occasion, Bromhams' team play was excellent and their resilience and self-belief was a credit to them.