Willand Rovers 1-2 Sholing

Scorers : Alfie Moulden 12  /  Dan Mason 35, Brad Targett 43

Date: Saturday 28 August 2021, 3pm – Pitching In Southern League South Division One

Venue:  Stan Robinson Stadium, Silver Street

Willand Rovers: George Burton, Josh Searle, Will Richards, Adam Hill ©, Ryan Guppy, Glenn Gould (Kieran Ireland 65), Alfie Moulden, Mitch McCann, Louis Jagger Cane, Jack Rice-Lethaby (Kieran Bailey 48), Scott Piper (Noah Coppin 58).  Unused subs : Will Harvey & David Steele

Yellow Card: Mitch McCann

Sholing: Ryan Gosney, Ryan Cluett, Marv Mclean ©, Yumo Wan, Dan Miller, Joe Adams, Conor Whiteley, Rob Nicholls, Dan Mason, Stu Green, Brad Targett.   Unused subs : Jake Cope, Charlie Wagstaffe, Martin Buckland, Jack Barnes & Luke Deacon

Yellow Card : Joe Adams, Conor Whiteley, Stu Green, Brad Targett

Referee: Sam Fudge   Assistants : Daniel Bugg & Luke Iles

Attendance: 112 (approx 20 Sholing fans)

Man of the Match : Joe Adams

Boatmen came from behind to keep our unbeaten start to the season with a battling performance at Willand Rovers. After falling behind early on, Dan Mason flicked in an equaliser, but if ever a goal deserved to win a game, it was Brad Targett's 30 yard screamer just before half time.

Dave Diaper was back in the dugout, but was without skipper Byron Mason, as well as Mitch Byrne & Claudio Herbert. Yumo Wan moved into the centre of defence and Marv McLean captained the side on his 699th appearance.

It was a lovely sunny & warm day down in Devon, with a superb looking pitch and always refreshing to visit a club where the whole ground is kept so neat and tidy.  It was also the usual friendly welcome by the Willand volunteers.  The home side had on their away strip, not sure if that was at the referees insistance, but the Boatmen were in Black & White. It was an even start to the game, but the home side created the first chance on 11 mins with Gosney forced into a point blank save near his right post.  Willand took the lead two minutes later, Alfie Moulden was played into space in the left side of the area and his firmly hit left foot shot across Gosney found the far bottom corner.

Sholing's first effort on target came on 22 mins when Brad's fired in cross from the right was flicked goalwards by D-Dan, but Burton made a fine save down to his left.  Boatmen were having more of the possession and having some luck down the right flank and from that area, Conor Whiteley cut into the area, but he couldn't pick out a teammate in the 6 yard box.  It worked much better on 35 mins and Sholing got their equaliser. Joe Adams set the ball back for Conor Whiteley to whip in a low cross that saw DAN MASON get ahead of his marker to toe the ball over the keeper and into the net.

It was a typical neat strikers finish from D-Dan, but he was upstaged just before half time by a wonder goal by BRAD TARGETT !  Rob Nicholls closed down the Willand player on the half way line and Brad collected the loose ball just inside the home half, he advanced, cut past one player and unleashed a left foot shot from fully 30 yards that soared into the far top corner for a stunning goal.  HT 1-2

Boatmen took immediate control from the restart, with the defence looking organised and Rob Nicholls and Joe Adams pulling strings in the midfield. Sholing won a freekick just outside the box with Conor Whiteley's shot beating the wall, but pushed behind for a corner by the keeper.  Stu Green was causing problems for the right side of the Willand defence with his runs in behind and he ran into the channel and in on goal, but Burton saved down by his post.  From the corner there was a loud shout for handball, but the ref wasn't interested.

Apart from a header put a yard over the bar, Willand were finding it hard to pull the Sholing defence out of position.  Meanwhile, the Boatmen won corner after corner and will be slightly disappointed not to have made more of them. Stu Green switched to the right and put over a juicy looking cross that seemed set to be met by the arriving Rob Nicholls, but a defender did well to just get there in front of him.  Greener then had a cross shot that was probably meant for D-Dan, but it ended up floated inches wide of the post.

Sholing had used no subs, but the referee said he was still adding on 5 mins.  In the 5th minute of stoppage time, Joe Adams, as he had done all game, cruised past a challenge to break clear, he checked onto his other foot inside the box and was clearly tripped by the defender with the contact very audible to all in the ground.  The referee looked like he was going to give a very obvious penalty, but instead gave a freekick to Willand and booked Adams for diving!  All bias aside, it was an incredible decision.  We continued to play deep into the 6th minute of added time, but finally the whistle was blown and 3 deserved points for Sholing.  FT 1-2

Dave Diaper said afterwards : "A well earned 3 points against a decent Willand side. There’s nothing quite like a Sholing away day. Clinical finishing and great defending and now on to Monday’s home game against Winchester."

Next Game :  Sholing v Winchester City -  Bank Holiday Monday 3pm

Photos by Keith Legg (swipe to view pics)