Western League Premier Division
Tannery Ground, Street
Admission: £7.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 100
After a busy and active day enjoying some of the delights of mid Somerset during the day, starting with a four mile walk around Wookey Hole and Ebbor Gorge, then looking around the charming city of Wells, and finally climbing Glastonbury Tor, I had a choice of two games to head for in the evening. My decision was made easy once I realised that Southern League club Paulton Rovers only issue online programmes these days, and so I headed to Street, a club that is known to produce excellent printed programmes.
The Tannery Ground is located just under a mile southwards from the centre of the large village of Street, down a short lane from the passing road, with the entrance marked by a Western League board. Admission is paid for at a turnstile housed inside a low standalone green and white painted building, with programmes available from a table just the other side. Facilities are rather impressive for Step 5 level and are immaculately maintained. The length closest to the entrance has a stand covering a couple of steps to stand on, and its low roof, combined with plenty of people congregating inside, ensures a good atmosphere is generated there. Next to it is a modern metallic all-seater stand, and beyond that, is a more traditional and narrower stand, with a wooden bench along the back wall. Set behind the stands is a long and quite tall building, housing maintenance equipment, changing rooms and the clubhouse, with overhang providing a covered area and several circular picnic tables spaciously scattered on the tarmac between the clubhouse and the pitch. A further stand is located towards the corner flag on the opposite length, offering a slightly elevated view and with a couple of rows of sporadic individual plastic seats along the front and plenty of standing room to the rear. There is just hard standing around the rest of the length and behind both ends. A second full size pitch is located behind one end, at right angles to the main pitch. Residential housing makes most of the background of the ground, which is bright and colourfully painted. The 44 page programme indeed was really excellent, printed on good quality paper and even including a see through plastic cover to protect it from rain, it was packed with interesting information about the club, the visitors, the league and other interesting articles. An absolute bargain for a pound.
Street have work to do to ensure they remain in the Western League Premier Division next season, but were not in good from, winless in their last six league games and they came into this game in 17th place in the 19 club division, following six wins and five draws from their 30 league games, and were just one place and three points clear of a potential relegation play-off spot. Making the midweek 200 mile round trip from Cornwall were Saltash United, elevated from the South West Peninsula League last summer. And they are doing well, up in fifth place, following 17 wins and five draws from their 30 league games, and will still have hopes of a second successive promotion, being just five points behind second placed Exmouth, which would earn at least a play-off spot. They were in great form too, winning their last five league games, and eight of their last nine. Perhaps surprisingly, tonight was the first meeting between the two clubs this season, partly as a result of several postponements of previously scheduled games between the two clubs - the one at Saltash shortly ahead of kick-off due to an air ambulance having to attend to an elderly spectator. I was rather concerned that this game was in danger too, when the floodlights went out about a quarter of an hour ahead of kick-off, but gradually they came back on and the game kicked-off without significant delay.
After a dry day, rain arrived as we were having a pre-match pub meal, continuing until just before kick-off and then intermittently throughout the game. Although the final result was probably favourite in consideration of the respective league positions of the two clubs, it absolutely does not tell the full story, as Street were on top for most of the first half, and were left to rue their inability to find the back of the net. The tone was set within the first couple of minutes, when a Street show took a deflection, sending the ball looping just beyond the far post with the keeper flat footed. And on 9 minutes, they thought that they had opened the scoring, but the goal was disallowed for offside, after the referee consulted the linesman. They had further chances, on 38 minutes when a shot from the edge of the area went just over, and on 42 minutes, a scramble in the area saw a shot force an excellent parry from the keeper. Saltash had a couple of half chances themselves, but Street really should have been in front at the interval.
And although the home side started the second half quite strongly again, perhaps inevitably they were made to pay for failing to take their chances when the visitors opened the scoring on 55 minutes when a ball into the near post was eventually stabbed home by 38 year old Sam Davey. And Saltash doubled their lead on 58 minutes, when a corner was headed home emphatically by Charlie Elkington. The game had completely turned on its head, as Saltash then controlled the rest of the game, having a couple of decent chances to further extend their lead as Street now struggled to pose much of a threat for the remainder of the match.
The three points were enough to lift Saltash into fourth place, just three points adrift of second place, but have now played a game more. Street remain three points clear of the possible relegation play-off spot, but will need to start converting some decent play into goals to maintain their status, as apparently this game followed a familiar pattern to Street's recent games.
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