Western League Division One
Playing Fields, Portishead
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 40 (estimate)
Match Rating: 4
Having bought another bargain Megabus return coach ticket for today, this time from London to Bristol for £4.00, it was a relief when it became clear that there would no threat of the elements preventing my trip today, as they had for my planned trip to Cardiff last Saturday. Fortunately, most of the senior non-league clubs in the Bristol area were at home today, and in the end my decision was based more on the merits of visiting the town, rather than the ground itself.
Having enjoyed spending some time in the pleasant relatively warm sunshine on the bank of the Severn Estuary looking over to the Welsh coastline, I then made my way to the Bristol Road ground, about a 15 minute walk beyond the town centre. Visitors enter the car park from the main road, with the homely clubhouse adjacent, which refreshingly serves two real ales. The football ground is a short walk away from the clubhouse, situated amongst several other playing fields and separated mainly by see through fencing. Spectators enter via a turnstile block by the half way line. To the left of the entrance is a covered standing area constructed of breeze blocks, with a few chairs scattered around inside. Towards the corner flag there are a couple of buildings painted in dark green housing the changing rooms as well as a refreshment hatch. On the opposite side, there is a small metallic all-seater stand straddling the half way line, although unfortunately it is positioned immediately behind a floodlight pylon. Around the rest of the ground there is just hard standing. Hills all around the ground in the distance give it a pleasant setting for what would otherwise be a pretty bleak venue. The 20 page programme was full of stats although lacked interesting reading material such as a welcome message, but here are certainly far worse programmes than this one for sale at that level.
Portishead have had a difficult season so far, and came into this game second bottom in the 22 team division, having won two and drawn four of their 15 league games, and had picked up just a point (in their most recent game) from their last five league games. Devizes Town were in seventh place, having won seven and drawn three of their 15 league games.
On an afternoon that started off sunny but became overcast with a chilly wind in the second half, this game was a lot more even than the league table suggested, and in the end Portishead would probably be disappointed not to have claimed all three points. With just two minutes on the clock, a Portishead shot from outside the area struck the bar, and within the first quarter of an hour, saw a header from one corner flash just wide, and another deflected wide. But on 15 minutes, it was Devizes who took the lead. A long ball forward landed and the striker just got to the ball before the keeper to bundle the ball goalwards, and Ali Bradley tapped in from close range to make sure. But on 27 minutes, Portishead drew level. A high cross from the right wing evaded a defender and Alex Twiggs headed home at the far post. They came close to taking the lead a couple of minutes before half time, but a powerful shot was blocked by the keeper.
The visitors started the second half on the front foot, and that they didn't go back into the lead was down to some unbelievably poor finishing from at least three glorious opportunities. Both teams did plenty of attacking and came close to taking the lead, and on 85 minutes Portishead were awarded a penalty for a push/pull in the box as the ball was crossed high over the box. But the penalty was comfortably saved to the keeper's bottom left. Devizes had another great chance to snatch the win, only for another shot that was screwed wide from a good, central position. But that would have been very harsh on the home side, and Portishead more than deserved their precious point.
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